CHILDREN at Westwood with Iford Primary School have been awarded £2,500 to enable them to aim for outside broadcasts.

Thanks to grants of £1,000 from Westwood Parish Council and £1,500 from the Bradford on Avon Area Board the pupils will be able to become ‘roving reporters’.

With the money they have received so far, they are hopeful this will strengthen their application to the Heritage Lottery Fund so that they are able to purchase a range of recording and broadcast equipment.

They will use the interviews they record to contribute to the Westwood Heritage Oral History Project. The new funding will enable them to set up a mobile unit to go out into the village and record interviews with local people.

Head teacher Ian Rockey said: I am excited at the prospect of our children being able to learn about the fantastic heritage of the village and local community and to give residents of all ages the chance to tell their stories of living, working and growing up in the local area.

He added: “This is a wonderful opportunity for children to become confident and resilient speakers, with tips from our regular broadcasters to assist through peer learning.”

The children are already broadcasting to the world on one afternoon a week from their own radio station. The station, called Westwood Radio, operates from a small studio at the school in Boswell Road every Friday afternoon after classes.

Organised and run by the pupils, it reports on school news, village community items and on local and national items of interest. The children broadcast live and the station is believed to be one of the country’s only regular school radio broadcasters.

Mr Rockey added: “The children are able to have fun developing their broadcasting skills so that as many as possible are able to experience sitting behind a microphone and taking turns to time jingles perfectly.”

The pupils aged 5 to 11 years have even interviewed local councillors, including Cllr Johnny Kidney, the Wiltshire Council ward member for the area.

You can listen to the children’s weekly broadcasts at 2.30pm every Friday on radio.westwoodwithiford.org.

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