50 Years Strong… and Now an Award to Match

We’ve Got Some News… And It’s Pretty Special

We’re absolutely buzzing to share this one…

Forest Radio has been awarded Epping Town Council’s Community Award 🏆

Not bad for a team that started out broadcasting to hospital beds back in 1976.

From Hospital Wards to 30,000 Listeners a Week

What began as a small, volunteer-run hospital radio service has grown into something much bigger than we ever imagined.

Today, Forest Radio reaches over 30,000 listeners online every week, bringing you:

🎶 Classic hits you actually want to hear
📰 Local news via Everything Epping Forest
💬 Health and wellbeing content that genuinely helps

And the best part? It’s all still powered by volunteers who simply care about the community.

Our Big Year Just Got Bigger

If that wasn’t enough, this year already had a pretty major moment…

In February, we officially launched Classic Hits Forest Radio on DAB 📻

That means you can now tune in across:

Epping
Harlow
Bishop’s Stortford
And surrounding areas

The launch was led by Town Mayor Councillor Janet Whitehouse and marked a huge step forward, as we joined the Xtra DAB multiplex alongside a range of other brilliant stations across east Herts and west Essex.

Collecting the Award

Then Epping Town Council decide that we should be this year's recipient of the Community Award.

Our trustees, Deborah Smart and Mark Wilson-Brown, picked up the award at the annual civic reception at Epping Hall. Deborah summed it up perfectly:

“Receiving this award is truly an honour, and it is particularly special for us to be recognised in our 50th anniversary year. At the heart of Radio Forest is our mission to serve, inform and entertain, and this award reflects the positive impact we continue to make in the lives of local people.”

This One Belongs to the Team (and You)

Awards like this don’t just happen. They’re built on:

every volunteer who gives up their time
every presenter behind the mic
every person working quietly behind the scenes
and every single listener who tunes in

So whether you’ve been with us for years or just discovered us on DAB… thank you. You’re part of this story too.

What’s Next?

Honestly? More of the same… just bigger, better, and reaching even more people.

We’re proud of where we’ve come from, but we’re even more excited about where we’re going.

And if this award is anything to go by… we’re heading in the right direction 🚀

< Older Post

Feel Good with Forest Radio

2 October 2025

Our Feel Good Team is made up of staff from Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT) and Classic Hits Forest Radio who have worked collaboratively to bring this project together. EPUT West Essex Integrated Community Physical and Mental Health teams joined together to develop a range of helpful soundbites to advise and support health promotion strategies for listeners. The Feel Good team invite you to tune in to Classic Hits Forest Radio for regular Feel Good information on how to make small changes that could have a big impact on your mind, body and spirit. We hope you enjoy listening. For more information on our Feel Good soundbites please click on the links below.

Community Bulletin Board

10 June 2025

On our community bulletin board you can find details of events, exhibitions and things to do in the Epping area. If you'd like to tell us about your event, look out for contact details at the foot of this page.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DURAN DURAN

4 June 2023

Here's one of our potted histories. Everything you need to know about a band or artist we play on Classic Hits Forest Radio all squeezed into 500 words (ish) (just in case you were going to count). So pull up a chair and find out everything you need to know about Duran Duran. But don't get too comfy, it is only 500 words (ish).

JERRY LEE LEWIS IN 250 WORDS (ish)

30 October 2022

Here's one of our potted histories. Everything you need to know about a band or artist we play on Classic Hits Forest Radio all squeezed into 250 words (ish) (just in case you were going to count). So pull up a chair and find out everything you need to know about Jerry Lee Lewis. But don't get too comfy, it is only 250 words (ish).

CHAS & DAVE IN 250 WORDS (ish)

1 May 2022

Here's one of our potted histories. Everything you need to know about a band or artist we play on Classic Hits Forest Radio all squeezed into 400 words (ish) (just in case you were going to count). So pull up a chair and find out everything you need to know about Chas & Dave. But don't get too comfy, it is only 250 words (ish).

All You Need To Know About Classical Music

6 March 2022

Here's one of our potted histories. Everything you need to know about a musical genre we play on Classic Hits Forest Radio all squeezed into 600 words (ish) (just in case you were going to count). So pull up a chair and find out everything you need to know about classical music. But don't get too comfy, it is only 600 words (ish).

PHIL COLLINS IN 400 WORDS (ish)

27 February 2022

Here's one of our potted histories. Everything you need to know about a band or artist we play on Classic Hits Forest Radio all squeezed into 400 words (ish) (just in case you were going to count). So pull up a chair and find out everything you need to know about Phil Collins. But don't get too comfy, it is only 400 words (ish).

MEAT LOAF IN 400 WORDS (ish)

23 January 2022

Here's one of our potted histories. Everything you need to know about a band or artist we play on Classic Hits Forest Radio all squeezed into 400 words (ish) (just in case you were going to count). So pull up a chair and find out everything you need to know about Meat Loaf. But don't get too comfy, it is only 400 words (ish).

DESMOND DEKKER, BOB MARLEY AND UB40. THE SOUND OF REGGAE.

14 November 2021

Reggae is a musical genre that originated from Jamaica and gained popularity in the 1960s. The genre was highly influenced by American jazz, ska, rocksteady and rhythm and blues. Usually, reggae music is off beat, has a slow tempo and is drum and bass heavy. Lyrics often were politicised and stressed the social and economic injustices in the world. The genre is often linked to Rastafarianism and has spread to countries across the world. Reggae spread to the UK in the 70s and influenced bands such as UB40, Steel Pulse and Aswad. Desmond Dekker, Bob Marley and the Wailers and UB40 are three of the most influential and successful reggae artists of all time. See below a little about each artist.

PINK FLOYD IN 500 WORDS (ish)

3 October 2021

Here's one of our potted histories. Everything you need to know about a band or artist we play on Classic Hits Forest Radio all squeezed into 500 words (ish) (just in case you were going to count). So pull up a chair and find out everything you need to know about Pink Floyd. But don't get too comfy, it is only 500 words (ish).