“I don’t think you ever really move on, you just get on. Through obstacles that you come up against in life, in work, with family, friends. That’s what I’ve tried to do every day to build this station, get on.”

The advice that smooth-voiced community stalwart Shirley Ludford gives others for how to live your life is admirable. For seven years she has been the steady hand guiding the community radio station ship that is Swindon 105.5FM.

Since 2008 Shirley has tasted successes, triumphs and true heartache in her tenure at the station.

From providing disabled people with employment opportunities and a lifeline to the outside world to mingling with Hollywood A-listers and royalty the station has come a long way from its humble beginnings in a small room at the County Ground.

On the flipside she’s had to contend with a break-in that left the future of the station in jeopardy, the death of her beloved fiancée, weeks before they were due to marry and the ongoing struggles to secure funding and stay on the air. If anyone knows how to turn negatives into positives it’s former BBC Wiltshire presenter Shirley Ludford.

Shirley was firmly ensconced with her position at BBC Wiltshire when she got the call inviting her to start a new community radio project.

“I initially thought I’d only be here for a month, that’s what I signed up for” Shirley laughs.

“It doesn’t feel like I’ve been here seven years, it’s come so far from what I imagined. The station is so much more than what people hear on the radio, it’s the volunteers that make the job worthwhile, the people that have their whole lives turned around as a result of the work here. That’s the reward, that’s why I’m still here."

Since its inception in 2008 the station quickly gained a place in the heart-and ears- of the community. Weekly programmes from the Broadgreen community and Tamil association were a fixture in the early days of Community Radio Swindon as it was then known.

“I described us as an inverted tardis, masses of work carried out, from the tiniest of studio facilities. We made it work and demand was high,” Shirley said.

Yet the station was about to enter turbulent waters. Year two saw the station face its first threat, hackers, who wiped the station database and destroyed the entire two-year programme of songs, which left the Swindon 105.5's future in jeopardy.

“I got a call one morning to say that everything seemed to have vanished. Our whole database of music and programmes was gone. It was heartbreaking and a huge blow to us. We struggled to see why anyone would do this to us," Shirley said.

After resurrecting the station the volunteer base expanded to 120 people of all ages and abilities and bigger premises at the Bentley centre, where the station runs from today, were secured. Shirley said:

“We had to rebuild our entire database, thanks to two volunteers with Aspergers and Ron Inglis helping us."

A smile blossoms across Shirley’s face when she mentions her friend, fellow radio presenter and later fiancé Ron Inglis affectionately known as Ron Travolta.

Shirley had found true love, cemented when DJ Ron got down on one knee in her office at the Bentley Centre.

“I had said no so many times but I accepted his proposal this time. I didn’t think I would marry again but he was a friend as well as my fiancé. He was larger than life and always lit up a room.”

But just weeks before their wedding in 2012 tragedy struck and Ron died from a heart attack.

“We were having a conversation about the wedding invitations. He called me back later on and the last thing he said to me was that he was having a heart attack. He’d had them before so we knew what was happening," Shirley said.

“I had a choice, I had to get on, pick myself up and not let it consume me. I still wear his ring today and I’ll never forget him."

Stricken with grief inspirational Shirley found an outlet into which to channel her energies. What enabled the station to carve out an identity was the work and training programmes for people with disabilities that she pioneered.

Over the seven years the station has become notable for welcoming volunteers and trainees with a wide range of disabilities such as visual impairment, learning difficulties and victims of physical abuse.

Shirley said the community behind the airwaves is what helped her through difficult times and given the station its longevity.

“We’re a family here and there’s a special bond between all of us. The biggest reward is giving someone their confidence back as a result of the work we do."

Last year the station secured its biggest coup to date when Hollywood superstar Whoopi Goldberg became a patron, thanks to a national television show.

Shirley got the Surprise Surprise of her life when she appeared on a Mother’s Day special of the hit TV show, courtesy of son James.

Unknowingly Shirley kept boyband super group Boyzone waiting in the Shrivenham road station. She said:

“Boyzone just walked in and I got the shock of my life. I couldn’t believe they were here for me and I had kept them all waiting. I thought they were lookalikes to begin with. It was such a fantastic surprise as I am a big fan."

Mother and son were then whisked off to New York to meet with Shirley’s idol Whoopi Goldberg on the set of her talk show The View. It was there that Shirley asked Whoopi to be an ambassador for the station.

“She agreed instantly, she loved what we were doing and she was straight on board.

“We still keep in touch now and it’s fantastic to have that support,”

As Swindon 105.5FM enters its eighth year on the air there are major changes afoot as the station endeavours to remain on the air

With annual costs totalling £40,000 - which has been met by grant-funded projects, donations, and friends of the station - Shirley has been tasked with reeling in new supporters.

“With the station it’s what we do off air as well as on air that helps make us a regionally unique service which has been doing its bit to put the town on the map. It’s giving people a voice and doing our best. That's what we've always done and I hope we can do this for many more years to come.”