Somerset Coalfield Life at Radstock Museum, in Partnership with Somer Valley FM, is working towards broadcasting items relating to local history and the museum in the coming months.

Thanks to funding from the Big Local, Dom Chambers, Manager of Somer Valley FM, is training Museum Development Coordinator, Miranda Litchfield and Publicity Volunteer, Lucy Tudor, in all aspects of scripting, presenting, recording and editing for radio.

Training has begun, and already Dom has helped Lucy to record a publicity piece for the museum’s upcoming free Victorian Christmas event, complete with seasonal music. Both Miranda and Lucy have recorded interviews they have undertaken, and are busy editing those for future use at the station.

Miranda explained: “Dom is helping us to build our skills and knowledge to enable us to broadcast a show once a month. The content will be really varied, as we have so much at the museum we would like to share with listeners; so for example, we are keen to give local people an insight into how the museum works behind the scenes, such as, how items are acquired, catalogued and stored in certain conditions to preserve them.”

Lucy added: “We intend to invite museum volunteers for interviews about their roles within the museum, for example Julie Dexter, editor for 25 years of the museum’s magazine Five Arches; how do Julie and her team go about putting together this tri-annual publication? And how do they go about arranging to meet and gather local historical stories and information from local people?”

Miranda and Lucy, with help from some of the museum’s research volunteers, also plan to tell of life in the Somerset Coalfield in days gone by, whether it be how a miner’s wife and daughters managed the washing each week or budgeted for the family’s food, to some of the hair-raising stories from miners still alive today about their days deep underground.

The hope is that the broadcasts will enlighten the local public enough to want to visit and re-visit this wonderful and ever evolving museum to help keep it open for future generations to enjoy.

Dom said: “Empowering people with the skills to make radio so they and their organisations have a voice across the region is at the heart of what Somer Valley FM is all about. I am delighted to be working with Miranda and Lucy to ensure our history and heritage has a central place in local radio.

“The enthusiasm and energy of these training sessions leaves me in no doubt that we are on track to deliver ground-breaking grass roots media that will be a cutting edge and contemporary celebration of our past.”

Once items are ready for broadcasting, details will be posted at: www.radstockmuseum.co.uk and www.somervalleyfm.co.uk.

The items will be broadcast on Somer Valley Radio at 97.5FM, DAB and online.

Lucy Tudor