A NEW Winchester radio station is being planned in a bid to engage older people with the community.

Winchester Hospital Radio is preparing a city-wide launch on FM frequency to help keep over-50s healthy, active and away from the wards.

Content would include music, news and features from local charities, healthcare providers and community groups.

It would be the city's first local radio station since WinFM, which aired from the Brooks Centre between 1999 and 2007.

Anna O' Brien, chairman of Winchester Hospital Radio, is one of four trustees leading the project. She said live broadcasts would allow presenters to engage with the day's events and encourage the elderly to get out of the house, reducing social isolation.

"Areas in the city of Winchester have a number of larger than normal number of people who are older, and there's a real need to connect people with their communities," she said.

"It's for Winchester, from Winchester, by Winchester, which we don't have at the moment. The hospital would be at the heart of our community."

The station would continue to broadcast from Royal Hampshire County Hospital and provide tailored content for patients, but Winchester Hospital Radio would merge with the new Winchester Radio charity.

“The aim has always been to provide a warm, friendly, and very local broadcasting service - meeting our listeners, keeping them informed of hospital activities and upcoming community events happening on our doorstep," Ms O'Brien added.

"Winchester Radio will build on the heritage of the hospital radio, and provide a service that emphasises the strong caring sense of community, togetherness and belonging, in this great city we all call home.”

It would air within a five-mile radius from its base in Royal Hampshire County Hospital, covering villages such as Kings Worthy and Colden Common but not extending to Alresford or Bishop's Waltham.

Winchester Radio is applying to broadcast regulator Ofcom for an FM community radio licence later this year. If successful, the station is expected to be on the airwaves by 2017.

A fundraising target has yet to be set as the station's business plan is still in development, but trustees are confident their decades of experience in hospital radio will work in their favour.

Ms O'Brien added: "As part of our research we have spoken to charities in other parts of the country who are running community stations and we've sought advice on some of the challenges which they have had during the process. That will be really helpful to us."

Winchester Radio is not currently taking volunteers, but anyone interested in supporting its bid to Ofcom can find out more here.