Expansion to Other Hospitals
In November 1971, the station moved: the equipment was actually wheeled on a hospital trolley one evening – to its second home in Block 7, a former brick-built bicycle shed. At this time, programmes were extended to cover Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 9 – 10pm, in addition to Sunday evenings from 8-10pm, mostly with the same line-up, by presenters changing to one-hour shifts on-air.
| Eventually permission was obtained to extend programmes to Highlands and South Lodge Hospitals in Winchmore Hill from March 1972 and subsequently North Middlesex Hospital in Edmonton from January 1973. Broadcasting hours were changed to Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8–10pio Enfield between 8 and 10pm on Sundays. As programmes for Highlands and North Middlesex were replayed on tape over the hospital radio system, these hospitals only heard Radio Enfield between 8 and 10pm on Sundays. |
North Mid Hospital |
In fact, the 8-9pm programme at Highlands and North Middlesex was specially recorded over the weekend to include requests just for those two hospitals and the 9-10pm programme heard at Chase Farm on Thursday was recorded and replayed at Highlands and North Middlesex on Sundays. This quite complex arrangement meant the Thursday night presenter at Chase Farm wasn't allowed to refer to the day of the week, the weather, news and so on but could give time checks as the Sunday repeat was timed to go out between the same hours!
It was a cumbersome system as someone had to take the tape machines and tapes to Highlands/South Lodge and someone else a similar tape machine and tapes to North Middlesex. At least the individual could go request collecting whilst the tapes were replayed but it did cause confusion with the patients as to how the person could be in the ward and on the air at the same time! There was also the dread by the Thursday presenter of being admitted to hospital before Sunday night and hearing his or her own programme!
Chase Farm Hospital |
Landlines were installed in November 1973 at which point all three hospitals heard the same programme simultaneously allowing requests to be phoned-in whilst the station was on-air (previously requests had to be in by Friday at 5pm). |
Extra presenters were recruited and programmes extended to Sunday-Friday 8- 10pm inclusive to cope with the extra requests. Live football commentaries from Enfield Football Club in Southbury Road were introduced from April 1979, shortly after the station moved to its next home in late 1978. Commentaries from Tottenham Hotspur Football Club followed in 1980 and by a fluke it was found that Radio Enfield could also be heard at the Prince Of Wales Hospital in Tottenham!
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