A powerful night of local pride, emotion and celebration unfolded on Friday 26 September as Roch Valley Radio held its inaugural Community Hero Awards, honouring those who go the extra mile to make life better in Bury and Rochdale.
Held at the Village Hotel, fittingly positioned on the Bury-Rochdale border, the awards evening brought together nominees, supporters, volunteers and local leaders for an emotional and celebratory evening.
The ceremony opened with Roch Valley Radio's Saturday Breakfast presenter and local host, Michael Thompson, welcoming guests with humour and warmth. He promised a night of celebration, food and dancing, while encouraging everyone to make noise for the award winners.
(left to right) Dean Sampson, Operations Manager and David Murphy, Chairman and CEO.
Following a three-course dinner, Roch Valley Radio's David Murphy addressed the room with a heartfelt speech that looked back on the station’s growth, especially in recent years. He shared how the pandemic had redefined Roch Valley Radio’s purpose, transforming it from a hospital radio service into a full local community broadcaster with Ofcom DAB licences and an ever-growing listener base.
He recalled how Roch Valley Radio was born out of three local radio stations in 2006, and said the station's expansion into local news had filled an urgent gap left by the closure of Rochdale Online. He told the audience that the station now delivers more than just radio, being the sole local independent news provider in the Rochdale borough, and reaches millions through social media and live event coverage.
Referring to recent figures, he said their TikTok content had reached a million views in just two days, and that Roch Valley Radio’s channels had over six million total views in the last month alone.
David Murphy also reflected on the uniqueness of the venue, joking that the hotel pays its business rates to Rochdale Council despite being physically in Bury, “a perfect example of Roch Valley Radio’s ability to bring both boroughs together.”
He took a moment to honour two much-missed members of the Roch Valley family, Ged Rose and Will Place, whose contributions to the station were remembered with affection.
Lauren and Charlotte, our Radio Presenters, are hosting the red carpet, interviewing the winners of this year's Awards.
There was also a moment of recognition for the radio team themselves, all of whom are unpaid volunteers. From weekday breakfast shows to specialist weekend programming, the presenters broadcast live, around the clock.
He made sure to thank every person behind the scenes too, with special recognition given to station coordinator Dean, whose work made the evening possible. In attendance were Bury South's MP, Christian Wakeford and the Mayor and Mayoress of Bury.
In one direct comment, David Murphy summed up the spirit of the night, saying:
“Every person in this room has had an impact on someone’s life, and that’s exactly why we’re here tonight.”
The evening closed with the award presentations. We'll be sharing more footage and spotlight reviews on each of the winners.
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