Local resident Mike Hopwood has informed us of a relaunch of a radio soap akin to The Archers, but with a more down to earth theme and situation, that is coming to RNIB Connect Radio (formerly Insight Radio). The first episode was aired on the 16th May and will continue daily for the next four months. It may be located on Freeview Channel 730 or may be found online via the RNIB website (http://www.rnibconnectradio.org.uk/) further details can also be found on The Colcloughs website (http://www.thecolcloughs.co.uk/).
A soap opera first heard in Stoke on Trent is now available to the UK and beyond on Freeview and online. The Colcloughs, which follows the ups and downs of a family from The Potteries, has been picked up by RNIB Connect Radio – a charity-run station for people living with sight loss. Written by a team led by Coronation Street writer Tony Perrin, the serial was originally made 25 years ago for broadcast on BBC Radio Stoke. It was expressly designed to promote healthy living after the so-called ‘sick city’ report revealed that the Six Towns had one of the poorest health profiles in the country.
Its creator and producer, Mike Hopwood, says : “Our mission was to make a compelling kitchen-sink drama, with warmth and wit, to develop an interest in health matters. This involved weaving ‘cautionary’ tales through gritty storylines designed not to hector or lecture but essentially to entertain and inform, nudging listeners to re-examine their own health and well-being. Having heard it all again recently, I am confident it remains as relevant and entertaining today as it was in 1991. It’s a real shame it was only ever heard once – on one local station. “When the drama launched, we only had the capacity to produce one midweek episode, with a repeat at weekend. But now the serial is ‘on-the-shelf’ it can be rerun daily, like another well-known soap, so our audience can more easily make a date with it.”
