STROUD’s community radio station Stroud FM closed at midnight last Wednesday after 10 years of broadcasting, due to lack of funds.

The station’s website simply said: “No more programmes as of now. Sorry Folks.”

Richard Joyce, one of the station’s directors, said: “It’s been a really difficult time for community radio over recent years with grants getting smaller and smaller, making it very difficult to keep going. We were struggling to put plans together for the future and unfortunately it got to the point where we just couldn’t continue.

“Around 50 to 60 very talented and skilled people are affected: there are potential plans to restart a radio station in the town but for the moment the station is officially closed.”

The station was set up 10 years ago, run entirely by volunteers, and in 2008 it began broadcasting full-time on 107.9 FM. It attracted over 1,000 listeners both locally and nationwide, with 60 presenters broadcasting a range of shows.

Richard added: “It very much reflected the town of Stroud, with programmes ranging from music to skateboarding. I saw the way it changed people’s lives too, because it became a social point, teaching skills to unemployed people and helping lift the disadvantaged back into society: it wasn’t just a radio station.”

Former Stroud MP David Drew, who officially opened the station’s second studio back in 2010, tweeted: “What a tragedy as become a fixture. Loved appearing on the politics slot.”