Hospital Radio Plymouth's youngest volunteer has scooped a national award.
Josh Andrews, aged 16, was named volunteer of the year at the National Hospital Radio Awards. The Tavistock College pupil has been invited to attend Parliament in June to address MPs as part of a delegation about youth volunteering.
Hospital Radio Plymouth is celebrating an array of successes at the awards, hosted by the Hospital Broadcasting Association in Blackpool. The volunteer of the year award is given to Josh predominantly for his work entertaining the children's wards in Plymouth's Derriford Hospital.
He impressed the judges with the dedication he has demonstrated for his age and also received a Commended Certificate in the best newcomer category.
The charity won the silver award in the station of the year section, narrowly beaten by Leicester's Radio Fox. The station also received the silver award in the best speech category for Josie Scobling's documentary 'Shirley's Story', in which she recounted the devastating effects of a stroke suffered by her aunt.
Derriford Hospital nurse Isobel King, who volunteers for the station in her spare time, also picked up a highly commended certificate for her entry into the best female presenter category.
Andrew Hill, station manager, said: "This is a very successful start to our 40th anniversary year. To have our oldest member, Connal Cather, get the coveted John Whitney award last year and our youngest member, Josh Andrews, named as HBA Volunteer of the Year in 2009 is a clear reflection of the level of volunteer commitment we have across the spectrum of ages.
"The awards Isobel and Josie received are well deserved and given the strong competition from stations across the UK it is quite some achievement to get Silver for Station of the Year in 2009 after our gold in 2008.
"All our volunteers can be proud of the role they have played in these results."
The ceremony was attended by almost 280 people representing hospital radio stations from all over the UK. It included video messages of congratulations from both the Prime Minister and Sir Terry Wogan, patron of the HBA.