A COMMUNITY radio station will be launched in Thetford next month in a bid to unite the community and bring new skills to the town.

A COMMUNITY radio station will be launched in Thetford next month in a bid to unite the community and bring new skills to the town.

The station will be available over the internet 24 hours a day and people will be encouraged to participate with suggestions and ideas, as well as taking over presenting slots.

Station founder Samuel Ball, 19, who already runs Norfolk Christian Radio, said the idea was to widen the appeal to a non-religious audience while giving the people of the town their own station.

“I already work with a local station in Watton (Wayland Radio) and I can see it makes a difference in the community,” he said. “I want it to have local benefits and a local awareness but also to train people up and give them media skills.”

Broadcasts will be based at Church on the Way on Thetford and will use the equipment already set up for Kingdom Radio. The aim is to launch on January 20.

The station will begin with a playlist which will run 24 hours a day and gradually build up guest presenters and bands with a view to obtaining an FM licence in the future.

Mr Ball, a call centre worker from Bergamot Close in Thetford, said he was hoping to build on the station's potential success with a view to securing funding for further equipment and an FM licence.

He added: “It's a voice really because apart from newspapers there's no medium around Thetford. It's something local which local people can put into to benefit the community.”

A temporary website for the station has been set up at www.radiothetford.co.uk. To get in touch, e-mail studio@radiothetford.co.uk.

To tune into Kingdom Radio go to www.kingdomradioonline.co.uk