Liskeard’s pop-up radio station has gone live - and will be broadcasting on 87.7FM up until Christmas.

This year the station will be celebrating ‘everything marvellous about Liskeard and the surrounding area’, from local musicians and bands, to community groups and volunteers, to events going on over the festive season.

From its first broadcast in 2012, Liskeard Radio has grown year on year, says director Bryan Ugalde.

’At the start we just wanted to get the community together and let people know what was going on in town that Christmas,’ he said.

‘That was the only objective - and we wanted to have a bit of a laugh. It was all a bit Heath Robinson, with us using gaffer tape everywhere and all that kind of thing.

‘But after the first broadcast, we realised how many people had got involved.’

The station acquired some good equipment in its second year thanks to a local sponsor, as well as the technical expertise of resident ‘geek’ the Reverend Mark Pengelly.

Liskeard Radio later moved into its own purpose built studio at Liskeard School and Community College, and the facility is used by students all year round.

The station is run as a not-for-profit limited company by guarantee, and each year it has to apply to Ofcom for a 28 day Restricted Service Licence.

The broadcasting permit stipulates that the station must be on for 24 hours a day - and with no test broadcasts, the presenters are thrown into the deep end from the start.

‘We’ve had quite a few memorable moments - I was doing a show in the beginning where people were literally drilling through the wall in the studio to put an aerial in,’ says Bryan.

‘And last year I had a Jimi Hendrix roadie on, so it was straight back to the 60s.

‘We’re really keen on people getting in touch to promote what they’re doing, whether they’re a club or a group, and they can come in on the radio, we don’t bite! It’s people that make the memorable moments.’