AFTER years of planning and hard work, St Neots will get its very own radio station next month.

AFTER years of planning and hard work, St Neots will get its very own radio station next month.

And while the broadcasts from Black Cat Radio will only be on the air for a month, there are high hopes of turning the community station into a full time venture.

The station, run by BBC Radio Cambridgeshire legend Tony Gillham and radio presenter Mark Hansard, will broadcast on 87.7FM throughout December starting on the first of the month.

Using a transmitter in the heart of the town, the station will also be on Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) from the middle of December and streamed on Black Cat’s website.

Mr Hansard told The Hunts Post: “Black Cat Radio is a much needed service for St Neots. We will involve all members of the community, giving an identity and a voice to each one from a St Neots perspective.

“We will be focusing on issues relevant to the local area, and utilising Black Cat roadshows to promote local events which are a lifeline to the community.”

The station was founded five years ago by Mr Gillham who started broadcasting from his garage. Together with Mr Hansard they submitted an application for an FM licence in 2009 but lost out to Huntingdon Community Radio.

“We were obviously disappointed at being overlooked, but we re-grouped and will apply again as soon as we can,” Mr Gillham said.

After moving into premises in Huntingdon Street, the pair set about building the new studio from scratch. As well as the state-of-the-art studio, the station also has on board one of the biggest names in local radio, Herewood FM’s Pete Revell, who will present one of the shows.

The Hunts Post will also be helping with news coverage.

Mayor of St Neots, Councillor Barry Chapman, said: “Having our own radio station in the town is something St Neots deserves. It’s heart-warming to have such professional people on board the project, and the sooner they get on air the better.”

Huntingdon MP, Jonathan Djanogly, also praised the team at Black Cat: “I am very pleased that Black Cat Radio will be launching a full-time station for St Neots and the surrounding areas on December 1. Having visited them several years ago, I am aware of the professionalism and dedication of their team of volunteers and I look forward to seeing them again on December 9.”

INFORMATION: Black Cat Radio will be hosting the Christmas light switch-on in St Neots on Friday (November 25). The station goes live on Thursday, December 1 on 87.7FM. For details visit www.blackcatradio.co.uk