The power of radio highlighted at BBC Radio Cornwall

A listener to a BBC local radio station has been found dead in her home after a presenter asked police to check in on her.

Journalist Jo Twist from BBC Radio Cornwall raised the alarm after regular contact from the listener stopped. Police visited her address and the lady was found on the floor of her home, thought to have been undiscovered for ten days.

Colleague Donna Birrell has blogged about the heartbreaking experience, reffering to the listener as Clara.

She said: “I thought I would let you know of a heart-breaking story, but one which I think shows the absolute value of Local Radio and how important it is to communities.”

Picking up the story, Donna writes: “At the end of January, Jo told Clara she was going away so would speak when she returned. However, on Jo’s first weekend back, there was no call from Clara at 0810. Jo was concerned and called her, but again no reply.

“Because Clara had been such a regular feature of Weekend mornings, Jo was very concerned at the lack of contact and on her day off on the Monday, she tried to call her again and when there was still no reply, she called the police and gave them Clara’s address.”

Stephanie Marshall, head of the BBC in the West and South West, told RadioToday: “This is a truly sad story and I’d like to send deepest condolences to the family of ‘Clara’ from everyone at BBC Radio Cornwall. I’m glad that the station had such a big impact on Clara’s life, particularly in her later years which can be isolating for many.

“Our listeners have always been and will always be the most important part of our radio stations. This is a great example of the importance of BBC local radio stations to the communities they serve, and the unique value they offer to listeners.”

See the full post here on Donna’s blog.