Culcheth High School Radio has now clocked up a full year of broadcasting across the school every Friday morning, which, frankly, deserves a bit more than a polite round of applause. In a world where many school initiatives arrive with fanfare and quietly disappear by half term, this one has actually stuck around and built something worth hearing.
The station has been led by a Year 10 team made up of Alex Buffey, Phoebe Smith, Meredith Shepherd, and Chloe Cottrill, who have managed to deliver a new show every week for the past 12 months. That is proper commitment, not just turning up, pressing play, and hoping nobody notices.
According to Culcheth High School, the shows have kept staff and students thoroughly entertained, with music spanning the decades and special guest appearances adding a bit of variety. Staff members have also joined in as guests, which can go either way in these situations, but it sounds like the school community has thrown itself into it in the right spirit rather than making it feel like a forced assembly with a playlist.
And that is really the charm of it. A good school radio show can make Friday mornings feel a bit less grey and a bit more human. A bad one can feel like being trapped in a lift with a motivational speaker and a tinny speaker system. Thankfully, CHS Radio seems to have landed firmly in the first category.
It all began in July 2025, and now, as the original presenters head towards their final year at school, the programme is preparing for a handover to a new team for the next academic year. That is probably the real sign of success here, not just that it lasted a year, but that it has grown into something bigger than the original group.
For Culcheth, this is exactly the sort of school story you actually want to hear - creative, community-minded, and run by students who have clearly put the effort in. Credit where it is due, Culcheth High School has backed something lively and worthwhile here, and not just another shiny idea for a prospectus photo.