When you find yourself in hospital, there will be a whole host of staff you will meet. Doctors, nurses, porters, admin and catering are the obvious faces which spring to mind but there's another team of people who are there to provide a different kind of support.

And one of those teams, based at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, is about to clock up 21 years, having helped thousands of patients during that time.

Valley Park Radio (VPR) is a self-funded charity which provides a broadcasting service for the benefit of Darent Valley Hospital patients.

It started broadcasting on August 28, 2000. Back then, the studio was in a room near the Medical Records department. It was so small, it had just enough space for a DJ plus a co-presenter or guest perched on a bar stool.

Peter Hammond is a request show presenter and has been part of hospital radio since November 1982, volunteering originally at West Hill Hospital in Dartford.

When West Hill closed, Peter moved to Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford, before moving to Darent Valley when that too closed.

The 62-year-old said: "At the beginning, the team was limited for storage space and had a single rack for CDs and LPs.

"We tried to use CDs whenever possible but kept one turntable to play vinyl even though you had to lift off a section of the desk to access it.

"In the summer of 2007, we were informed that the Trust needed the radio room for Medical Records.

"There was never any question of closing the station and by a strange twist of fate, new smoking laws came into force which meant that the staff smoking room was no longer needed. So we moved there.

"The L-shaped room was smaller and we had to get rid of the turntable and vinyl, as we had just invested in a computerised playout system.

"We restarted broadcasting live shows on March 9, 2008 and we are still there today."

Darent Valley Hospital Radio broadcasts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is run by volunteers.

They are there to play patients' requests, providing them with the tunes they love.

Peter added: "Request collecting is great fun. I never know what I will be playing when I turn up on a Tuesday night - all the music is chosen for me. I may start the evening with Chopin and finish with Bon Jovi.

"You get to meet some wonderful people and can get immersed in a whole new world of music and artists you didn't know existed."

For many, that music can provide a real boost.

Peter said: "Hospital radio is recognised as having beneficial effects on patients, so-much-so that most large hospitals have such a service. Today there are more than 200 stations."

While the people behind the station are all volunteers, money is still needed to keep it going.

Peter said: "We rely on fundraising to keep us on the air. The money covers things such as repairs, new equipment, fees and insurance.

"But for me, the most important people are the patients - they are at the heart of everything we do."

Clive Jenns has been a DJ at VPR for two years.

The retired 57-year-old said: "We entertain to aid in the well-being of our patients and staff.

"Now we offer the station online, friends and family of our patients can call in requests for them."

Studies have found that music in hospitals helps reduce stress and anxiety and lifts emotions.

Peter continued: "Several years ago a patient with a broken leg wanted to know more about the station.

"The ward staff gave permission for them to be escorted to the studio in a wheelchair, so once we had collected all the requests we came back to the ward, took the patient to the studio and they joined in reading out the requests.

"One of the most rewarding and important aspects of being a member of VPR is the opportunity to visit the wards and spend a little time with the patients, chatting with them and giving them something else to think about during their stay in hospital.

"Visiting the wards also allows us to talk and provide a bit of company to those patients who, for one reason or another, do not have a visitor and they really appreciate a friendly face."

Due to the pandemic a lot of the radio's usual activities had to be put on hold and the number of live shows was reduced.

Peter said: "When the hospital went into lockdown we could not visit the wards so there was no direct engagement with the patients. Additionally, fundraising pretty much dried up.

"Luckily, we have not had any major repairs or needed any new equipment, though fees and insurance still needed to be paid.

"Why am I still presenting a request show all these years later? I get a bit of an adrenaline rush in anticipation of playing records thinking of the joy and delight the patient would feel and the smile on their faces when they heard it.

"Over the last 21 years, Valley Park Radio has put a smile on thousands of patients' faces."

When it comes to requests, it seems the old favourites are the best.

The top 10 requested artists for 2019/2020 were:

10 Ed Sheeran

9 Wham

8 George Michael

7 Frank Sinatra

6 Neil Diamond

5 Tina Turner

4 Luther Vandross

3 Tom Jones

2 Queen

1 Elvis Presley.

And when it comes to the most requested songs, "Dance With My Father" by Luther Vandross was in at number three, "Wind Beneath My Wings", which has been covered by various artists, was at number two but the King was in the top slot with "Jailhouse Rock".

When asked about the most unusual song requested, Peter added: "Everybody's taste is different and often songs are requested because they have a special meaning or memory for the patient.

"That said, there was an unusual instance back in my early days; I was co-presenting the Friday night request show called "The Melody Go Round" with Dick Whittington, who had a huge influence on my life as a hospital radio presenter.

"We used to encourage patients to phone in. We did not get many calls but one in particular stands out.

"We received a call from a lady who wanted to dedicate a tune to her boyfriend who was also in hospital as they were both on a motorcycle that had been in an accident.

"Ten minutes after her record finished the phone rang again.This time it was the boyfriend wanting to return the compliment.

"We started to wonder what we had let ourselves in for when the phone rang again shortly afterwards - this time it was the driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident wanting to dedicate a record to the pair of them!"

To find out more about Valley Park Radio click here.

If you would like to donate and support the hospital radio click here.

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