Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters

From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts. Become a member today

Needing to stay overnight in a hospital can be a boring and lonely experience.

This is something Steven Davies found when visiting a family member a few years ago.

Steven, 58, said: “There were 30 beds and two remote controls and some of the patients weren’t going to come out, they were seriously ill and I thought ‘this is dreadful.’”

He continued: “The only intervention that some of them were having was healthcare professionals. There was no one going to see them.”

That’s why Steven launched YYFM or Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr FM, a free and accessible hospital radio station, in February 2021.

Unlike your average radio station, patients can access YYFM on their devices using hospital Wi-Fi – while anyone can find it on demand 24/7.

Steven, who works for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said: “We didn’t want a conventional radio station. 

“One of the beautiful things about it is that you can access it at any time.”

YYFM has developed a wide range of programmes – music shows, interviews, documentaries and stories -with people listening from “all over the world”, according to Steven. 

He continued: “There are eight or nine different countries that are listening to us, which is amazing,” adding that one music show has had requests from places such as Australia and Spain.  

“I really enjoy every minute of it”

YYFM has already won awards and created working partnerships with the University of South Wales, Caerphilly County Borough Council, communities and local schools. 

Some of these – students from the University of South Wales and members of the community – create content for the station.   

One community group are the self-styled Teapot Ladies.

‘Tales around the Teapot’ are original stories – written and read out by an art collective of the same name – available weekly on YYFM. 

Joan Warburton, 71, said: “The teapots are my saviour because it’s my time and I really enjoy every minute of it.”

The group writes every week over Zoom. They start with a prompt, write for half an hour and then later build upon the narratives, and edit before recording them for broadcast.

Joan, who lives near Bargoed, added: “We’re finding that as we’ve got to know each other more our stories have become better.

“We’re so enthusiastic, it’s absolutely marvellous.”

Diana Parsons, 79, explained how the group got involved with YYFM two years ago and said: “Originally we started off simply because I have a drama background,” adding that she used to record the stories alone.

But Diana, who brands herself as a “pioneer”, soon instilled confidence in members such as Joan, who now also records the stories.

The whole process is a great chance for the women to get together, write, learn about technology and create something that gives back. 

Joan said: “I’m hoping that people are enjoying and getting as much out of it as I am.”

Diana said that she hoped the stories could benefit older people listening in the hospital or elsewhere acting as a ‘trigger’ for memories. 

She said: “Even for people with dementia…It can help because the stories are short.” 

“It’s about bringing people together”

Steven needed help to set up YYFM – and that came in the form of Steve Johnson, a community radio tutor at the University of South Wales.  

Mr Johnson, a former professional radio presenter, helped Steven overcome the obstacles of music licensing and got his journalism students involved in content creation. 

Mr Johnson said projects like YYFM are “massively important” in 2024.

He said: “We don’t live in a very happy, very connected world. There’s a lot of poverty, there’s a lot of sadness, there’s a lot of pain.

“One of the things that YYFM is doing particularly well is creating a whole series of wellbeing content.”

The ‘Well-Being Series’ highlights community champions, with one episode featuring Blackwood’s Libanus Lifestyle.

It shows how important it is for people to have a place to come and chat over a cuppa and a hot cooked dinner.

There was also a recent series on menopause – all helping to make YYFM a “goldmine of community stories”, as dubbed by Mr Johnson.

The word “community” is key for Mr Johnson who believes that partnerships, like the one between YYFM and the students, should be done on a wider scale. 

He said: “Universities should absolutely wake up to the beautiful opportunities presented by the local communities to link with them.

“It’s about bringing people together and rather than living in silence we live in communities which communicate with each other.”

That’s what YYFM is about too – community and communication.

In 2023, the station donated headphones, microphones and podcast production technology to Idris Davies School in Rhymney.

Steven hopes to work with students on future projects and in turn encourage more people in the community to get involved.

Because just like the listeners, those who get involved in the station can also benefit, Steven said: “We want people to get as much out of it as possible.”