Virtual radio festival raises more than £1,000 for NHS

A weekend-long virtual radio festival has helped to raise funds for the NHS.

The Pub Shed Radio Virtual Festival saw DJs from across the country come together to put on a weekend of eclectic programming to help the public enjoy the bank holiday weekend.

The festival also featured a virtual pub on the Pub Shed Radio website for people to congregate together and talk about the festival, with the DJs making appearances during the festival.

The festival was also a fundraiser for the NHS, with listeners encouraged to buy a virtual ticket by donating on the festival's Just Giving page, with £1,644 raised to date.

Neil Thacker appears on the station as DJ Soul Guerrilla alongside other DJs from Walsall, Essex, Nottingham and Aberdeen, broadcasting out of his back garden shed.

The 48-year-old kicked off the weekend and hosted four shows during the festival and Neil said he had played a real range during his shows.

He said: "I started off on Friday with a mix of festival headliners, including big bands who had headlined Glastonbury and festivals like that.

"On Saturday, I did a mixture of pop and dance music, then did the Glastonbury legends stage slot on Sunday, so Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers got an airing.

"Finally, I was the penultimate show on Monday and finished off with a bit of classic dance from the 90s, so a real selection of music."

Respect

He also said the DJs had interacted with the listeners all weekend through the virtual pub and said a number of people had set up tents in their gardens to get into the festival spirit.

Neil, who is currently on furlough from his Quality Engineer job with RMD Kwikform in Aldridge, said it was a great way to entertain people and give back to the NHS.

He said: "We've all just got great respect for the NHS and we just wanted to give a bit back and support a great cause.

"My uncle Michael was a nurse at Cannock and Stafford hospitals and my aunt Carol a sister at Stafford, so I'm proud to be able to support the NHS for them.

"Some of us have been off work for a couple of months now and we just wanted to help entertain people as well who are in the same situation.

"People are on lockdown and staying home and we've got one or two listeners who live on their own, so it's great to know we've impacted them on a personal basis."

To find out more about Pub Shed Radio, go to pubshedradio.weebly.com/