Buy Norwich's charity single and help raise funds for Future Radio to find a new home!

This Fine City is a charity single created to raise funds to help Future Radio, Norwich's community radio station, relocate following the loss of their offices and studios when their landlord’s premises closed.

At the start of lockdown, Future Radio’s landlord, Open Youth Trust, sadly closed its doors, and we've been operating remotely since then.

In a magnificent effort, Future Radio’s volunteers have pulled together to help raise funds for a new home. The ambitious idea to create and release a charity single was put forward by the producer of the station’s Future Vegan show and local singer/songwriter and host of Future’s Afternoon Session, Lisa Redford stepped up to the plate.

The song has been written by Lisa as a tribute to Norwich and produced by Andrew Todd, a volunteer presenter at Future Radio. As the project came together, it drew in more and more musicians from the local music scene. The track features the talents of 10 leading local musicians alongside Lisa.

Lisa said “I was delighted to be asked to compose the single as a tribute to my home city, for the radio station I love. The song is a tribute to Norwich and how we’re getting through such a challenging time. Future Radio, which is facing some tough times itself, is such an important part of the life of the city, I hope people will enjoy this anthemic celebratory song and help the station to move to a new home.”

With other local radio stations across Norfolk recently having been taken over by a national brand, Future Radio is now the only local station in Norwich other than the BBC, so the team is eager for the station to remain rooted in the city centre, where it can be easily accessed by volunteers, guests and artists.

Christopher Remer, Income and Volunteer Coordinator at Future Radio, who pulled the project together, said “This has been a fantastic effort by Lisa, Andrew, their fellow volunteers and local musicians. We’ve been really touched by all the hard work everyone has put into this fantastic single. Although we still have a long way to go, we hope sales of the song will mean we’re able to reopen Norwich’s community radio station for our volunteers, guests and listeners as soon as possible.”

• Future Radio has been broadcasting in Norwich since 2000, receiving their full-time broadcast licence in 2005

• They have hosted a wide variety of volunteers and guests over the years, including Greg James (now BBC Radio One Breakfast Show host) formerly hosting their Breakfast Show in the early 2000s and regularly featuring Ed Sheeran when he was an up and coming local musician

• The station is currently operated by two staff members and over sixty volunteers, of all ages and backgrounds

• Without a premises, the station is largely relying on volunteers being able to record and edit their shows from home

• Future Radio is part of the charity Future Projects, also including Future Education, a specialist independent school for children with special educational needs and Future Support, a collection of support services which help those most in need. More information about Future Projects available here – futureprojects.org.uk

• For further information, please contact Christopher Remer on 01603 250056 and c.remer@futureradio.co.uk