Four South West community licences issued

Ofcom has announced the award of four new community radio licences in the South West of England.

Stations in Blandford Forum and Sherborne in Dorset and Bradley Stoke and Winchcombe in Gloucestershire have been given five year licences by the regulator.

The licences have been given to:

Blandford Garrison FM (Blandford Forum, Dorset)
This station will serve all soldiers, their families and MoD civilians living and working within the Army community of Blandford Camp and Blandford Forum.

Bradley Stoke Radio (Bradley Stoke, South Gloucestershire)
Bradley Stoke Radio will broadcast a local community service focused on serving the tastes and interests of people who live and work in Bradley Stoke, and organisations and businesses that operate in Bradley Stoke.

Radio Sherborne (Sherborne, Dorset)
This station will serve the community of Sherborne and its surrounding parishes with a focus on underserved community members such as young people, home workers, carers and migrant workers for example.

Radio Winchcombe (Winchcombe, Gloucestershire)
Radio Winchcombe will broadcast a local community service for the people of the Cotswold town of Winchcombe and the surrounding villages.

Ofcom also considered applications from Newquay Sound in Cornwall and EMR-fm in Swindon but decided not to award licences to those groups.

An application from Gloss FM in Thornbury, Gloucestershire was also turned down because of a lack of available frequencies.