Forty years ago, patients in Oxford hospitals eagerly listened to the first broadcasts on their own radio station.

This closed-circuit service to the Churchill Hospital and the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre at Headington was launched thanks to the efforts of 30 volunteers.

After six weeks of experimental broadcasting, Eric Towler, chairman of the board of governors of the United Oxford Hospitals, officially opened the station on September 30, 1967.

In his speech, he thanked "the enthusiastic body of young people", who had founded the Oxford Hospitals Broadcasting Service and had raised the money to finance the venture.

The station's founder was John Simpson, who later became well-known as a BBC Radio Oxford presenter.

He worked for Post Office Telephones, and received a request to set up a line so that commentary on an Oxford United match could be broadcast to hospitals in Reading.

Driving home from Reading, John and several colleagues decided to consider setting up a hospital radio service in Oxford.

In 1965, they began to lay the foundations for what was to become Radio Cherwell, one of the most successful hospital radio stations in the country.

First, they had to convince hospital bosses that the service was viable, then raise funds for equipment and set up a studio. John recalls: "We were given a disused toilet block, but needed to convert it to a studio.

"At that time, the houses in St Ebbe's near the telephone exchange were being demolished so we asked the foreman if we could have some old materials. He pointed to a pile of timber and said - 'take what you want, mate'."

So much time was taken up with building work and setting up the technical equipment that the small team had not even considered what they were going to broadcast.

John said: "About three weeks before we were due to start, we realised we had no real programmes."

The mainstay of the early broadcasts was the football commentary from the Manor Ground at Headington.

The first game the commentary team of Gerry Cadle, Mick Alsworth and Jimmy Hall attended brought plenty of excitement for patients - Oxford United beating Bury 5-4.

Forty years on, Radio Cherwell has expanded to the John Radcliffe complex and is still going strong.

Chairman Neil Stockton, 55, from Bletchingdon, tells me: "We are so lucky to have many caring, gifted people from all walks of life, ranging in age from 16 to 85.

"All these people bring their professional skills to the station for no financial reward.

"But, of course, making life in hospital a little more bearable for patients is what really matters."