ST ALBANS’ community broadcaster Radio Verulam officially celebrated its move into new studios and a massively increased transmission range with a special ceremony on Friday.

The district’s new mayor Cllr Maxine Crawley and Holby City actress Rosie Marcel, aka Dr Jac Naylor, were the guests of honour for the official opening of the new studio in Hatfield Road.

The station previously broadcasted from premises in Victoria Street, but the low elevation of the transmission aerial at this site restricted its FM coverage. Its new location not only offers better studio facilities, but it has enabled the repositioning of the transmitter, which will massively increase its coverage.

Radio Verulam presently has an estimated listening audience of around 40-50,000, but this is expected to double over the next year as residents will be able to receive the station’s output up to a distance of 15 miles or more, depending on the surrounding terrain.

Cllr Crawley welcomed the move: “I am delighted to be here to open the new premises. It is wonderful that this local broadcaster can now reach a much wider audience and I just hope everybody listens. Radio Verulam has got a superb range of different programmes and I am going to be an avid listener from now on.”

Rosie Marcel, who lives in St Albans, added: “I will be listening whenever I have time off from filming. St Albans is an amazing city and it is only appropriate that we have an amazing radio station to go with it.”

Presently, there are over 40 volunteers involved with Radio Verulam and anyone interested is welcome to get in touch by telephoning 07722 391 047 (sales) or the studio on 01727 839926. You can pick up the station on 92.6 FM 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for a lively mix of local discussion and easy listening music.

Herts Advertiser editor Matt Adams is a regular guest on John Stephenson’s Friday Focus each week, debating the stories from each week’s newspaper.