Cambridge 105 Radio has been recognised in the annual Community Radio Awards with Gold in Best Arts and Creative for Sean Lang’s retelling of A Christmas Carol, Gold for Best Female Presenter of the Year to Steffi Callister, and Bronze in the same category for presenter Amy Gray.
They were honoured at a glittering award ceremony in Cardiff on Saturday (November 16).
The Awards come ahead of the station’s rebrand on December 7 as Cambridge Radio.
A Christmas Carol was adapted for Cambridge 105 Radio by Sean Lang, Senior Lecturer in History at Anglia Ruskin University and Artistic Director of BOATS Theatre. All the cast were local people, from the Cambridge theatre scene and from Cambridge 105 Radio. It was produced by Cambridge 105 Radio’s Trevor Dann.
Sean wanted the script to bring out the full Dickensian flavour of the story, slipping in little references to other Dickens works and characters. It was recorded on location at his Victorian cottage in Sawston, and Tiny Tim was played by his young neighbour Gustave Lallement.
In their citation the judges said: “This entry is a good example of a radio drama that preserves the local connections and adds some local interest. The production has been well mixed with a nice sense of mood and the performers deliver an interesting adaptation. It’s good to see the community involved as the majority of the cast.”
Steffi Callister was named Female Presenter of the Year. She hosts Home on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings with music, news and interviews. The former Sky News anchor also uses the programme to develop future talent.
The judges said of Steffi: “This presenter demonstrates all the skills a good presenter should have, with genuine confidence in her voice and excellent rapport with the guests. It is clear this presenter cares about her local community and engages with the audience well, covering a wide range of topics.”
There was also a Bronze Award for Amy Gray, who presents a Friday night music show focussing on music from the 1990s and early 2000s, and co-hosts the fortnightly women’s sports mix.
Speaking about the Awards, Editorial Lead Cambridge 105 Radio, Julian Clover said: As we get ready for our rebrand as Cambridge Radio, these awards demonstrate the amount of talent that’s available to us, despite us being a volunteer station.”
Writer and Director, A Christmas Carol, Dr Sean Lang said: “This was a real community creative production and it is thrilling to have it recognised like this at the Community Radio Awards.”
Presenter, Cambridge 105 Radio, Steffi Callister, said: A big thank you to the CRAs for awarding me best Female Radio Presenter. Having had a big TV career at the BBC, Sky News and GMTV, it’s nice to give something back. My students say they often get more out of three months in the Cambridge 105 Radio studio than three years on a media degree course – mostly how not to swear when there’s a live mic) and they all go on to great things.