COLUMN - 103 The Eye with Christine Slomkowska

As well as doing our regular show schedule, we have been playing an active part in many events locally.

These have included live broadcasting of Melton's Christmas Lights Switch-on and the Leicestershire and Rutland Young Farmers' Drive-In Living Nativity, as well as taking part in Christmas Tree Festivals in Melton and Bingham, and the Christmas Wreath Festival in Melton.

Finally, we staged a roadshow with our soundstage at the Merry Melton Market last weekend.

While most organisations close down for a week, sometimes more, our station continues broadcasting throughout, our volunteers taking time out from their own festive celebrations to present the shows.

We recognise that Christmas Day in particular is a difficult time for many people who are spending this very special day on their own.

We received a phone call from a listener who lives alone after his wife passed away.

He told us that that hearing Happy Christmas songs on the radio made him sad as he would be eating Christmas dinner on his own at home.

We did some research and found that a church near to him is holding a Christmas Day meal for people in his situation.

We gave him the details as he was unaware of it. He has since contacted us to say he has booked a place and is looking forward to going there.

Among the highlights of our Christmas programming will be the Mayor of Melton's carol concert, which we recorded at St Mary's Church earlier this month.

This will be broadcast on Christmas Eve at 11pm and repeated on Christmas Day morning at 7am.

On Christmas Day, between noon and 6pm we traditionally present a marathon show playing a song from each Christmas week chart from 1960 to the present day.

This is our 21st Christmas so we will be playing all the Number 21s.

We will also be seeing in the New Year with a live radio show.

We'd like to take this opportunity to wish all our listeners, friends and supporters a very Happy Christmas and all the best for 2026.