IT has touched the lives of thousands of people in the community and for many listeners can be a lifeline.

This year Brynmawr community radio station, BRfm, is celebrating its 10 year anniversary of full-time broadcasting in Blaenau Gwent and online.

The radio station began in 2004, the brain-child of husband and wife team Sue and Robert Ball who ran an optical practice in Brynmawr.

Sue was passionate about gathering and communicating as much local news as she could and set up a community news magazine called BrynmawrScene.

Her husband Rob came up with the idea of the community radio station and BRfm was born.

Sue said all the broadcasting equipment arrived just before she went on a week’s holiday. She said: “I can remember sitting on a beach with a pad and pen making notes of what radio shows we could do when we got back home, and who I could coerce into doing them with us.

“Fortunately, we had friends and volunteers who were only too glad to take part, and be part of their very first community radio station based in Brynmawr.”

Originally it was just an eight-day temporary licence and Sue and Rob applied for a second and a third.

She said: “After the eight days ended, the community wanted more, they realized there was a need for a local radio station so we all fundraised to raise enough money to apply for our second and third temporary broadcasting license from Ofcom, with volunteers growing in numbers each time.”

10 years later and now the radio station broadcasts is permanent. It broadcasts live from 8am to 8pm every day and has pre-recorded shows throughout the night as well.

45 volunteers work at the station every week in shifts, producing, editing and presenting regular shows which have proved very popular with the local community.

Sue said: “Community radio has a meaningful and positive impact on the community, by helping to break down barriers.

“Volunteering can develop new interests and hobbies, and is a brilliant way to gain life experience.

“BRfm brings together people from all backgrounds and all walks of life, expanding their network and boosting their social skills, self-confidence, self esteem and life satisfaction.”

Steve Bower is the newly-appointed chairman of the radio station. He first got involved with the radio station in 2006, two years after it was set up, by doing a regular show as a volunteer with Communities First.

He said he gets choked up when he thinks of all the youngsters who have come through the radio’s doors and left with greater confidence thanks to the station.

Mr Bower said: “I really, really enjoy this from my heart. To see the kids come in here with no confidence at all then go out of here full of confidence.”

One example he gave was a young man with autism, John Fennessy, who would only go to places which were familiar to him and was nervous about being on public transport.

“He didn’t have any confidence at all,” Mr Bower said. “But now he’s got so much confidence he’s travelling about on different bus routes.

“The great news about that is he’s now got a job.”

Another volunteer at the radio station was Laura Hill, 25, who was registered blind after she had an asthma attack which starved her brain of oxygen.

Mr Bower said another volunteer helped her to record the weather news by reading out what she had to say, rather than reading it.

“She became our weather girl,” Mr Bower said.

He also mentioned another teenager, Ellis Clarke, who started volunteering at the radio station.

Mr Bower said: “He came to me from social services, he wouldn’t go to school. I took him under my wing.

“He stayed with us volunteering and then went onto work as a video editor at ITV.”

It is clear the radio station is a fantastic opportunity for aspiring radio stars and people who want to build their confidence skills.

But the community as a whole has been incredibly supportive of the station.

Mr Bower said when they refurbished the new site where the station was moving to, everyone from builders to taxi drivers offered their help.

He said: “I had guys offering to do things for free, I called them the BRFM SOS.”

The former HGV mechanic said people who he had done favours for in the past were more than happy to help. He said: “It brought tears to my eyes.”

They moved into the new premises in November last year, taking over part of the rent from the snooker club who could no longer afford to rent the whole site.

Their members range from teenagers to those in their 70s.

Mr Bower said: “One of our older members now does a rock and roll show.

“When he started he didn’t know what a mouse was but he’s now doing his regular show, a 50s and 60s show.

“One of our oldest is Jim who comes in from Blackwood, he’s 74, and does a show late on Sunday morning.”

He said the feedback from listeners makes it all worth it.

“There’s quite a few people who live on their own and look forward to the different presenters who can speak to them.

“Christmas morning I did a show and the phone calls we were having were tremendous.

“I didn’t realise how powerful community radio was before I came here.”

He added: “That’s all due to Rob and Sue Ball. Without their vision it would never have happened.

“I take my hats off to the two of them. They have created something. There’s thousands of people that they have reached over the years.”

Here are Sue’s top ten of our memorable moments of being on air over the past ten years:

• Radio Wales broadcasting LIVE, as part of their community week broadcasts, from our optical practice radio station to the whole of Wales.

• When the National Eisteddfod came to Ebbw Vale, BRfm was the local station for the event, broadcasting live with the whole transmission in Welsh.

• Broadcasting a Radio Play, written by one of our volunteer presenters Chris Phillips, entitled ‘Brynglo Babble-on’.

• Another comical radio sketch called ‘The Funeral’, again written by a volunteer, Aaron Elias, who sadly has now passed away.

• BRfm ‘Let’s Get Quizzical’ quiz show, broadcast locally and via the internet, with special guest Mark Labett from ITV’s Programme ‘The Chase’.

• Special guests who came into the studio to be interviewed included the late Stan Stennet, Roy Noble of Radio Wales; Rhod Gilbert, and Rhodri Morgan (who was leader of the Welsh Assembly at the time ).

• BRfm received funding to trial BRfm TV, and broadcast live programmes via the internet, which enabled ex-pats and friends from all over the world to tune in and re-visit their homeland.

• Doing a ‘Phone-in’ whereby we would ring someone and the listeners would not know who it would be. On one occasion I spoke with Adrian Street, a local boy from Brynmawr who became a famous Glam Wrestler, and went on to live in America and open a wrestling academy in Florida.

• BRfm volunteers put on a Christmas pantomime in the Little Theatre, Tredegar, with the whole pantomime written by Chris Phillips, and staged entirely by volunteers. This raised much needed funds to keep the station on air.

• BRfm boot camp.With musical workshops, in conjunction with Communities First, for the under privileged youth of the area. BRfm has taken their broadcasting equipment for training purposes to various schools within Blaenau Gwent, most recently to PenyCwm Special Needs School and Canolfan Yr Afon Pupil Referral Unit, so that all ages and abilities can experience their local radio station.