Advertisement
Radio

UK’s first radio station run by homeless youngsters launches today

Sound Judgement kicks off with the first of a series of weekly podcasts aiming to give homeless people a voice on the airwaves and boost their broadcasting skills

The UK’s first radio station run by homeless people will begin broadcasting today to give homeless people a sustained voice on the airwaves.

Billing themselves as the ‘art school for homeless’, organisers Accumulate will kick off the station, Sound Judgement, with a series of six weekly podcasts discussing a range of topics from mental health to education.

The first podcast, which is available now, sees London youngsters discussing whether they became homeless because of choices they made or if it was by chance.

It is hoped that the pioneering project will give a voice to an often-underserved section of society as well as giving the homeless DJs and production staff a boost to their broadcasting skills.

The youngsters have been honing those skills for a few months through courses held by the charity with help from industry experts and guest speakers.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Accumulate also partnered with tutors from Ravensbourne University London to share their digital expertise while students helped with branding and visualisation.

Accumulate founder Marice Cumber said: “It has been amazing to see how far this group have come since our first taster sessions in the hostels to now when our group are pitching their subject ideas to industry professionals.

“Each member of the group’s confidence and self-esteem has grown week on week, empowering them to have a more positive outlook.”

Accumulate is now looking to create a news service podcast that will be run by people affected by homelessness and will provide updates on activities, training and support available to the homeless community.

But the radio station is not the only arts project that Accumulate is working on this year to help homeless people tell their stories. They are also set to launch the first-ever graphic novel put together entirely by and about homeless people this summer.

And The Big Issue is also giving homeless people a chance to broadcast on the radio – we have teamed up with Boogaloo Radio for vendors to host a weekly slot on Tuesday mornings. As well as manning the mic and sharing their stories, vendors also curate the music playlist, giving a unique insight into their lives behind the tabard.

Images: Ben Peters and Sam Holt

Advertisement

Learn more about our impact

When most people think about the Big Issue, they think of vendors selling the Big Issue magazines on the streets – and we are immensely proud of this. In 2022 alone, we worked with 10% more vendors and these vendors earned £3.76 million in collective income. There is much more to the work we do at the Big Issue Group, our mission is to create innovative solutions through enterprise to unlock opportunity for the 14million people in the UK living in poverty.

Recommended for you

Read All
Danny Robins on the return of Uncanny: ghostly monks, poignant poltergeists and famous UFOs
ghosts

Danny Robins on the return of Uncanny: ghostly monks, poignant poltergeists and famous UFOs

As Ken Bruce signs off from Radio 2, what will fill the PopMaster shaped hole in our lives?
Popmaster

As Ken Bruce signs off from Radio 2, what will fill the PopMaster shaped hole in our lives?

As UFO sightings spike, Johnny Vaughan says the truth is out there
UFOs

As UFO sightings spike, Johnny Vaughan says the truth is out there

Shaun Keaveny on life after 6 Music: 'It's about the most free I've ever felt'
interview

Shaun Keaveny on life after 6 Music: 'It's about the most free I've ever felt'

Most Popular

Read All
How two men outran the KGB to bring Tetris to the world
1.

How two men outran the KGB to bring Tetris to the world

‘We had to turn away a man who hadn’t eaten for two days’: Liverpool café serving homeless people for free broken into twice in two weeks
2.

‘We had to turn away a man who hadn’t eaten for two days’: Liverpool café serving homeless people for free broken into twice in two weeks

Exclusive: Suella Braverman claims to have contributed to a legal textbook. The author says she didn't.
3.

Exclusive: Suella Braverman claims to have contributed to a legal textbook. The author says she didn't.

Cash Carraway on Rain Dogs: 'We always see working-class stories through a middle-class gaze'
4.

Cash Carraway on Rain Dogs: 'We always see working-class stories through a middle-class gaze'