Hartlepool DJ launches gofundme appeal to save school radio station

A determined DJ has launched a fundraising campaign to save a Hartlepool primary school’s radio station.

Disc jockey and children’s entertainer Gavin Lancaster has created a crowdfunding appeal to protect Stranton FM which he oversees at Stranton Primary School.

Gavin Lancaster at the controls with Stranton Primary school radio reporters.

placeholder image — Gavin Lancaster at the controls with Stranton Primary school radio reporters.

The project has seen pupils make and broadcast their own material on the internet from the station’s own school studio for the last 12 years.

But pressure on school budgets means it now has to become self-funded.

Gavin has launched a fundraiser to save Stranton FM.

Gavin, 46, said: “I’m not going to give up on the kids. It’s too good and too important a teaching resource to let it just slide.

“I will try and raise as much money as I can.

“There’s a lot of time and effort that has gone into it over the last 12 years and it’s so beneficial for the kids.

“They come in shy and quiet and they leave so confident.”

Gavin spends one day a week working with nine and ten-year-olds helping to edit, plan and broadcast the pupils’ material.

He said the station helps them in many ways from confidence building to improving their literacy skills and speech.

“It’s quite a unique resource to have,” added Gavin. “Not many primary schools in the country have this.

“Some of the work these kids are doing is amazing, and the confidence it has built using the medium of radio is just phenomenal.”

Gavin has set a target of raising £4,000 to keep the station running for the next year, and has reached out to local businesses and individuals for support.

People can donate via gofundme.com