A COMMUNITY radio station has become the first in the country to receive its own personalised bus stop.

Bus commuters taking the Thamesdown Number 14 service to the Liden Centre will now be greeted with the sign “Alight Here For Swindon 105.5”.

And passengers will also be treated to the sound of smooth-voiced community stalwart Shirley who voices the stop announcement.

Swindon 105.5 recently moved premises from the Bentley Centre to a newly-renovated space in the Liden Library.

Station manager Shirley Ludford said the bus-stop first would help improve the station’s profile across the town.

“It will really help us with our reach into the community, it’s making us more visible to countless commuters every day and it’s a real step forward for us,” said station manager Shirley Ludford.

“We’re proud to be the first community radio station in the UK to have our own bus stop, it looks fabulous.

“Our new location brings us closer to the people and it will enhance the appeal we can have in the community. We’re looking forward to making many new memories here and doing some fantastic shows.”

Deric Pemberton, commercial officer at Thamesdown, said the company was proud to support Swindon 105.5.

“We’re a local company, they are a local organisation and we were keen to support them in all their endeavours,” he said.

“Swindon 105.5 do a lot of good work in the community so it’s great to be a part of promoting that with this bus stop.”

The efficient team are already broadcasting live from the new premises which comes complete with new state-of-the-art crate, three live studios and for the first time ever – a kitchen.

Shirley said she was touched by the support given to her and the team of volunteers during their moving period.

“We need to sort a lot of things out to make sure we are up and running for the future but we’ve had a lot of help and support which I am very grateful for. We haven’t missed a show yet and we intend to keep that up,” she said.

Since its launch eight years ago Swindon 105.5 has quickly gained a place at the heart and the ears of the community.

Over eight years 105.5FM has been notable for welcoming volunteers and trainees with a wide range of disabilities such as visual impairment, learning difficulties and victims of physical abuse.

As they settle into the 105.5 team are looking to the future and will launch the new premises with a special opening event on March 15.

Visit http://www.swindon1055.com/