Seven incredible years of 'proudly independent' Harrogate Community Radio station

A small but impactful independent Harrogate radio station set up by three friends that battled through Covid despite being unfunded is celebrating its seventh anniversary.

It was at midnight on Yorkshire Day in 2019 when founders Andrew Backhouse, Stewart Thornton and Allan Smyth, three friends who had already contributed much to the town’s music scene, launched Harrogate Community Radio.

Totally independent and unfunded, the underdog radio station with a ‘no adverts' philosophy saw its broad mix of of locally-generated spoken word shows and every kind of music under the sun win instant popularity

Harrogate Community Radio’s slogan said it all: “Radio by the community of Harrogate, for the community of Harrogate.”

The new station quickly racked up the listeners with its community focus and diverse and inclusive programming.

But then Covid struck six months after its launch and donations and fundraising dried up.

Determined to stick to its guns, HCR’s small but passionate team persevered.

Seven years years since it first went on air, it is still here and there are still no adverts.

Yet Harrogate Community Radio is going strong, broadcasting online via smart-speakers, phones and laptops for hundreds of hours each week with a staggering number and variety of local shows.

And its admirable philosophy remains intact.

"We believe that radio should be about the community, not just profit,” said Andy Backhouse, who presents music shows on HCR, including one devoted to free jazz improv.

"We are self-funded and rely entirely on public donations.

"When we decided to set it up, myself and DJ Scooby were fed up being broadcast on other radio stations.

"We decided to plant a pole in the ground for Harrogate and for the whole range of what it has to offer."

A reflection of HCR’s well-earned respectability in the radio firmament comes in its membership of the Radia Network and the Community Media Association.

As happy with the obscure, as the mainstream, the station also broadcasts a huge number of spoken word broadcasts from local charities, local community groups and interesting individuals.

Andy Backhouse said: "Our enthusiasm hasn’t dwindled since we first talked about setting up a radio station five years ago.

"Harrogate is a very musical town, and much more creative and interesting than people may realise.

"All we did was plant a pole in the ground for Harrogate and for the whole range of what it has to offer and try to bring the community together.”

Harrogate Community Radio boasts a huge number of presenters, including Steph Hayes, Matt da Conga, DJ Trev, Simon Bleadsdale, Karen Thornton, Open Country, Charles Hutchinson, Zahed Amanullah, Claire Adams, Rory Hoy, Jacob Hemingway and the station’s own founders.

The station also attracts a regular stream of new hosts but is happy to welcome to new voices and new ideas, though it does have a thorough screening policy.