A purely local radio station for the Sittingbourne area will soon be hitting the airwaves.

Ofcom announced on Wednesday that a five-year community radio licence has been awarded to Sfm which is run by a group of 20 volunteers.

It is hoped the 24-hour non-profit making service which will feature on the FM waveband, will go live towards the end of the year.

Peter Flynn, programme manager, said: “The team found out on Tuesday but had to keep quiet until Ofcom made the official announcement but we celebrated by having a little get together and a few drinks.

“We’ve been campaigning for a community radio station for the last eight years and done numerous 28 day experimental broadcasts over the years to gauge public opinion and commercial viability so it’s great news.

"Years and years of hard work have finally paid off. We now have our own local radio service which will enable us to promote our town and all that is happening here – there is a very exciting future ahead.

“We would like to thank all the help and assistance received so far from local businesses and people throughout the Sittingbourne area.

“The work doesn’t however end here as we now need everybody’s help to bring the full time station to fruition.”

Terence Flynn, chairman and managing director, said “We are delighted with Ofcom’s decision and are optimistic that SFM will prove to be a catalyst for the encouragement and development of the town’s latent potential.”

The Sfm team will be keeping everyone up to date with the radio station’s progress via its website www.sfmradio.com as well as its Facebook group Sfm - 100% Local Radio For Sittingbourne.

The group can also be followed via Twitter http://twitter.com/SFMRadio