Young DJs to learn in Ron’s memory (From Swindon Advertiser)

Young DJs to learn in Ron’s memory

6:30pm Monday 27th August 2012 in News By Scott D'Arcy

PLANS are in place to keep the party going at the community radio station that was home to popular DJ personality Ron Travolta.

The 55-year-old, whose real name was Ron Inglis, had been known as the breakfast show presenter on Swindon 105.5fm and as a familiar face of the town’s music scene before he died from a heart attack earlier this month.

Now Swindon 105.5fm are looking to establish free courses for young people to learn DJ skills such as mixing, which the station had been planning to launch with Ron as the course leader.

Station manager Shirley Ludford, who was engaged to be married to Ron, said it would be the perfect way to keep his memory alive.

“Ron was particularly good at mixing and took great pride in that,” she said.

“Running courses is something we’ve been looking at developing over the last year because we get a lot of young people, especially young men, who come in and say they are interested in music.

“There is only so much you can do with music on the radio so we were going to get Ron to do the mixing with them.

“He used to take an eight minute disco mix and cut it down to about three-and-a-half for the radio edit, then say find the join.

“He was up for it. He did a few sessions on the accredited radio course I run at New College and I watched him a few times. He was a big softie and loved spending time teaching people about music.

“It could have been a really good thing.

“Yes he’s gone but I think that we need to carry it on – and if we can get funding then we would love to offer them free to young people.”

Ron’s funeral is set to take place at Holy Family Church, Marlowe Avenue, at 1.45pm tomorrow followed by a service at Kingsdown Crematorium at 3pm. There will also be a wake at the Moonraker’s pub, Stratton crossroads, from 2.30pm.

Shirley said DJs that knew Ron were welcome to come along and take to the decks for a party in his honour.

She said: “We’ve got one of our DJs MC Ranks setting up his kit and I’m hoping other DJs will come and have a go if they want to.

“We are just going to have a party, which is what Ron would have wanted.”