Arts, Wimborne | Posted on April 2nd, 2026 | return to news

Radio Wimborne fights for survival

A community radio station has been given notice by Dorset Council to vacate its premises.

By Marilyn Barber |  newseditor@dorsetview.co.uk

Wimborne Minster’s Council Chamber was packed with Radio Wimborne supporters for the Full Council meeting on 31 March.

The broadcaster, which was founded in January 2014 as a community station and established on FM in October 2021, is directed by Malcolm Angel and Kelly Webb, and had been given notice by Dorset Council to vacate its premises at the Allenview Hub by 31 March.

Dorset Council said the premises – which in 2019 had been earmarked as a community café – were needed for a youth facility for the town.

The present directors, which include Paul Thomas and Glen Fowler, as well as Malcolm and Kelly, had written to the council expressing their dismay at the very short notice.

The letter stated that they had spoken to Dorset Council, which said they had been given notice last summer, that there had been a communication in January, and that they had not pursued alternative offers of accommodation. The directors maintained that those statements were untrue.

The directors said that, because of the amount of equipment needed to run a radio station, it wasn’t possible to move quickly. In addition, they had a duty not to fall foul of Ofcom and community radio licensing requirements.

“We have always had a good relationship with Dorset Council, and clearly a mistake has been made,” said Malcolm Angel.

The letter also stated that last summer, Radio Wimborne was shown the derelict Magistrates’ Court but was told it would be a temporary solution with no funding to make it usable. Questions were put to an attending officer, and they did not hear back.

Representing Dorset Council, Jan Britton, the executive director responsible for assets and property management, said: “We do apologise for our error, and the notice has now been extended for three months. We welcome continued dialogue with Radio Wimborne, as it is not in anyone’s interest for the building to become empty. We don’t want to make Radio Wimborne homeless.”

A discussion followed on the lack of youth facilities in Wimborne, with Cllr Shane Bartlett saying that “£5.5 million had been set aside for youth provision in the town”.

Last year, there had been a vision to build a facility on the riverside to accommodate Dreamboats, Poole Canoe Club and Radio Wimborne at a cost of £2 million. However, Radio Wimborne and Dreamboats did not have the resources for such a project.

A proposal to support Dorset Council in finding a temporary home for Radio Wimborne, with a view to looking for a permanent home, was carried by Wimborne Minister Town Council, with six in favour and five against.