A HOSPITAL ward can be a lonely place, with nurses busier than ever and visitors limited to a few hours a week. EMMA JONES looks at the work of a group of volunteers who run Singleton Hospital's radio station, known as "the friend by the bedside".

JANET Henderson has been in her Singleton Hospital bed for eight weeks. The 57-year-old from Bonymaen hasn't left the gynaecological ward once after undergoing a major operation.

She says hospital can be a lonely place.

"But what helps to keep the boredom away is the hospital's radio station," she added.

"It feels like your own personal radio station, and you feel like you are in touch with the outside world."

For those facing a lengthy stay, a hospital ward can be a lonely and depressing place. Those who are facing life-threatening illnesses are often frightened and may be questioning their priorities.

And with nurses rushed off their feet and with limited visiting hours, some patients might not get to enjoy a chat for days on end.

But thanks to Singleton's Radio City hospital radio, patients can rely on a friendly voice, a chat and a tune being on hand 24 hours a day.

"Volunteers do an excellent job," said Debbie Thomas, a 36-year-old housewife from Tycoch, who has been at Singleton Hospital for the past week after a minor operation.

"They don't just ask for requests, they take the time to speak to the patients, too. The variety of music is wonderful, and the station keeps patients happy by playing what they ask for."

From its humble beginnings in 1968 in the basement of the hospital and later in a shabby temporary building in the car park, the station has been befriending its listeners for more than 40 years.

Broadcasts could be heard in Hill House, Cefn Coed, Mount Pleasant, Gorseinon and Garngoch hospitals.

But the network became too expensive to run during the 1980s, when post office telephones were privatised to become BT.

A move to the current custom-built studios just inside the hospital's maternity wing took place in 1991, but it only currently broadcasts to the Singleton site.

Radio City chairman Hywel Benjamin said the station, which is run by 40 volunteers and airs on its 1386AM frequency, aims to appeal to a broad spectrum of listeners.

It plays all sorts of music, from classical and jazz to show bands, country and the top 40, as well as live commentary from Swansea City matches at the Liberty Stadium, news bulletins and religious programmes. "We try to cover all the bases because the age range we cater from goes all the way from toddlers right up to 100-plus," said Hywel.

"You might hear a Beethoven symphony followed by the current number one. No-one here has a playlist and we don't tell them what to play."

The staff all give up their time for free to keep patients, staff and visitors entertained and informed. Hywel says they were all very aware that two or three hours of commitment each week could mean the world to patients.

The function of the station is to assist in the healthcare of the patients, he says.

"It sounds like a grand statement but there is documentary evidence which proves that hospital radio improves the welfare of patients," he said.

"When friends and family visit people in hospital, they come at a time when the wards are full of other visitors, so it seems busy.

"If you go in during visiting hours it's bedlam, but when you go 20 minutes later and everyone has left, it's really quiet. It's just the patients on their own — there are a lot of hours of the day and night when there are few people around.

"Nurses are very busy and might not have time to socialise very much, so we are a friend to a lot of people, available to them day or night.

"You try to identify as best you can any patients who may not have many people around them, and look after them."

To make sure listeners are getting what they want, a team of volunteers works its way around the wards, collecting requests.

And thanks to an online request service, friends and well-wishers can email requests and messages to their loved ones from any part of the globe.

One of the DJs, Greg Morgan, is unable to drive due to a visual handicap, which means he has to catch a bus or a train from Porthcawl to Swansea and back three days a week.

"The commitment of people is incredible," Hywel tells me as we share a coffee at the studio.

"Many of them cut their teeth here and go on to work at The Wave or the BBC."

Radio City is believed to be one of the longest continuously run hospital radio services in Britain, which has helped launch the careers of a number of broadcasters.

"There's a big tradition of people who've gone into the profession after working here and made a success of it, such as BBC Wales presenter Jason Mohammad and Radio Wales presenter Mark Buckley," added Hywel.

The charity station is funded by a combination of donations, fundraising events and advertising.

Events include a pub quiz every fortnight at the nearby Pub on the Pond and an annual formal dinner dance.

The station also held a world record when 12 members of the service pushed a hospital bed more than 3,000 miles back and forth along Swansea Promenade in August 1978.