Sorry, we are not yet accepting grant requests
As we only secured our own charitable registration a few weeks ago, we are surprised to already be receiving applications requesting funding.
We are still setting ourselves up
We are very sorry but we will not be in a position to fund anyone else for a while yet, we have to fund ourselves first and establish our own offices and broadcast studio.
We'll let you know when we're ready
Naturally we will let you know - right here - when we are ready to look at supporting third party applications.
We'd love to be a position to help and as soon as we can - we will.
These things just take time...
Jim Edwards joins Equal Ability Radio as Executive Producer & Content Consultant
We’re absolutely delighted to announce that Jim Edwards is officially joining our team of volunteers at Equal Ability Radio, as an Executive Producer and Content Consultant. However, in the interests of full and complete disclosure, he’s actually been working with us for the last two years or more, we just weren’t quite aware of his full background.
Who knew?
Jim uses a wheelchair for mobility as he’s a quadriplegic due to a spinal cord injury at age of 17. We must confess, we had no idea of his condition at all, he was just part of the U.S. family team sending us their weekly Indie Rock Show, “New Music Food Truck”. Jim’s brother Aaron or Cousin Cory presents the show while Jim is the “brains” of the operation, producing the show in the backroom.
We are delighted we were not aware of the extent of Jim’s condition because that is the entire objective of the station, to present “Equal Ability” in every imaginable way and example the fact that “disability” is no indication whatsoever, of “inability”. Jim had not considered it necessary to detail us about his physical status, as it has no relevance to the job he does and – he's completely right, of course! He is the living embodiment of everything we stand for and believe in here at Big Ear. Every member of our team is treated the same way, equally, and respected for the great work they do.
A life time of experience
Jim has a college degree in radio with on air presenting and producing experience for over 30 years on 8 stations with formats News/Talk, Variety, Hot and Christian AC, Classic and Active Rock as well as Alternative. He has also won awards for his copywriting and production for both radio advertising and feature shows.
So, Jim will have a free hand to produce shows for us from his studio at home and will generally oversee content to ensure that what we put out is relevant, factual and of use to our listeners. He will be the much needed “brains” of our operation too!
So much to look forward to
Watch this space for more news on Jim’s input here at Big Ear and, meanwhile, check out the “New Music Food Truck” with the rest of his team, as it’s always a lively and entertaining listen. You’ll find it on our weekly program loop and on our MixCloud page that enables you to listen again to anything you may have missed. The link is available on our Home Page.
Volunteer Presenters and Show Content Required
2023 is upon us and all attention is now focussed on growth and content. We have secured our charitable registration, have applied for our Bank Account and then... we are off and running!
Do you have the right personality and content to bring to Big Ear?
Our Presentation Team are obviously incredibly important to our stations future, for they are the public image of all we stand for and seek to achieve, as we work to promote tho global social integration of all living with disability or disadvantage.
Can you speak up for peoples rights while entertaining our listeners?
We have a global community to cater for, an endless variety of topics and situations to cover and we need to do that in a compassionate yet hard hitting way. We also need to ensure that our station appeals to everyone so, to all intents and purposes, we are a regular station with general appeal, yet including more content and focus on those we seek to serve.
So if you are passionate about promoting genuine equality on every level, standing up for those who may be being held back and exposing the perpetrators of abuse, exploitation or exclusion etc, you could be just who we are looking for as a Presenter on Big Ear Radio.
The position is voluntary but a great opportunity to make a difference and enter the industry.
If you'd like to know more or book a conversation, contact Trevor Krueger via email address: bigearradio1@gmail.com
Meet our new Philippines Outpost Team Member - Sarah Ismael
Sarah Ismael joins Equal Ability Radio as Project Supervisor and Researcher
Trevor Krueger has just returned from two weeks of research and relaxation on the Philippine Island of Palawan. Considered a second home by the Equal Ability Radio Founder, the Philippines was naturally in his mind as a nation worthy of our focus when it comes to encouraging and supporting progress deep within the communities.
The Philippines are growing fast, the people are hard working, hungry to grow and progressive in their outlook. Their can-do attitude is always impressive and they have achieved amazing progress in terms of commercial growth and this particular islands infrastructure in recent years.
Positivity & Poverty
But there is an immense chasm between the have's and the have-nots. There are those with lovely homes and modern vehicles, qualifications and careers while many thousands of others still live in the simplest of housing made of Bamboo and Coconut leaves without power or sanitation, working in the plantations and low pay positions, wherever they can find them. Did you know that a Supermarket Staff member only earns around £4 per day?
While not looking for charity, regular people are open to offers of support and opportunity to grow, support and educate their families. Big Ear Radio hopes to develop such opportunities in the near future, offering low cost housing at affordable rates, constructed from recycled plastics and renewable materials. As we all know, good housing is the basis for all forms of life improvement. We also aim to help with medical and disability support where required.
However, we are very conscious of our social responsibility not to enforce or dictate change that is neither appropriate nor wanted, so we have recruited local input to ensure we see everything from a positive and accurate perspective.
Sarah Ismael is a bright multilingual young woman with a hunger for life. She's part of a large family with excellent community knowledge and she currently works as an online representative of a US Real Estate Company. She is excited about what can be done for the people of the Philippines through start-up programs that will eventually self-fund themselves and ripple out across the community. We are already looking into what can be done and have allies lined up to take part.
Would You Like to Help?
As always, Equal Ability Radio is always open to offers of support from all sectors. Sponsors, Architects, Financiers, Social Housing Experts and so on... So, if you have an interest in this area of the World, please get in touch. Sarah and Equal Ability Radio will be delighted to tell you more.
Noel Cowley Appointed as Co-Program Editor and A+R Manager
Noel Cowley has been a good friend of our Founder, Trevor Krueger, for years. He is an accomplished Singer / Songwriter in his own right and the proud father of adorable Triplets. Thankfully, he still has some energy left for Big Ear Radio!
Managing all Indie Music Submissions
Noel will be handling the many music submissions we receive week after week, choosing what we will play and assisting in selecting the best tracks for our programs. He will also be assisting with editing shows ready for broadcast and the general management of the studio.
We're in Safe Hands
We are exceptionally lucky to have Noel on board as he is a fount of musical knowledge and can be relied on to pick the very best content for your favourite shows.
If you'd like to submit music for consideration, please email Noel Cowley with your MP3 files and profile details, care of: bigearradio2@gmail.com
Great News! Equal Ability Radio is now a registered Charity.
At last we made it!
Having applied back in February 2022, our registration as a Foundation CIO Charity is now complete and official.
We have to thank everyone for standing by us, contributing to our content, keeping the faith and propping up morale when it drooped a little. We can now look forward to 2023 and beyond with our heads held high and our hearts held out.
A Big Ear thank you to Robert Halfon MP
Local support is essential from those in power who are able to speak for us when we fail to be heard above the noise. We had no idea why there was such a long delay, no answers were being given by the Charity Commission, so we were very much in the dark. But, our excellent local MP Robert Halfon, stepped up on two occasions to demand updates and get things moving. We owe him a great debt of thanks.
Third Sector Experts - our essential ally
We always knew we would need expert help to navigate the process of registration and we were very lucky to find "Third Sector Experts" headed by Rachael Jones and her team, who chased, advised, monitored and kept us updated all the way. Experts are essential when navigating unfamiliar waters, we really didn't make any errors thanks to their guidance.
Trustees we can trust in
It's lovely to be able to relax in the knowledge that there are strong people standing right behind you watching your back, guiding and reassuring you all the way. Our special thanks go to Paul Beashel and Andrew Thomson who really know their stuff and are always on hand with great advice and a helping hand. Thank you gents!
Now the work really starts!
2023 is going to be exciting and amazing, we will finally be able to begin the next stage of our journey, raising funds, building the studio and broadcasting with a live program schedule.
Bring it on!!
Ali Bagley joins the Big Ear Radio broadcast team
We are very proud to announce that the much admired, Ali Bagley, is to join the Big Ear Radio family of broadcasters as our creative writing mentor.
Creative writing is a such a wonderful and fulfilling pursuit and we are delighted to have secured such an expert mentor for our listeners.
Ali is a business writers coach, best selling author and Mater Geographer of Emotions. Everything that's needed to inspire, shape and develop would-be writers to be the best they can be.
We all have a book inside us - just waiting to come out.
And if that's been your belief then Ali will be here to help you organise your thoughts, ready to put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard.
Ali is the lead coach at Ali Bagley Coaching where she specialises in helping writers to grow their business using the written word in everything from their posts to their book. She works with her clients to develop their courses, create content for blogs and other Social Media and how to blueprint their book. For business owners she helps to build a practical and resilient foundation in all aspects of business to save time, money and stress, smashing through those barriers to success and developing the awesome motivation needed to succeed. The ultimate goal being to release people to reach their full potential as writer / author / business owner.
Ali's new show will be fascinating and full of great things to learn and grow from.
As a Geographer of Emotions:
She will take you on a journey along the river of your life through the methodology of emotional mapping. You will learn how to identify your strengths, see what you really want in life and how to make the changes necessary to grow and develop towards your ideal future.
Ali's new show will be called; "Write Up Your Ali" and starts soon on Big Ear Radio.
Don't miss it!
Martin "The Warrior" Warrillow passed away at the weekend -15th October 2022.
We are so very sad to announce that our much loved, appreciated and respected teammate Martin "The Warrior" Warrillow, passed away at the weekend.
We don't have too much information yet, and it's not our place to share details without his family's consent anyway.
I just wanted to say we are obviously devastated to lose him, as his advice and program content, aimed at helping those live a better life after a Stroke, was drawn both from his own lived experiences and his well chosen guests which he interviewed as a result of over 40 years as a journalist.
We will miss you Martin and our deepest condolences go to your family.
It is our intention to continue running Martin's shows from his archives as they are of great value to Stroke victims.
Meet Noel Cowley
The best part of running Big Ear Radio is that we really are just one big happy family working on the same dream. There are no rogue members who upset the Apple Cart, no awkward personalities who make "going to work" a concern, and that - is a great feeling. We only add team members who are in tune with our ethos and our listeners and we hope that comes across in our programs.
The latest to join us is a great friend who was always on the team - in spirit, he's always supported what we are striving for but didn't quite have the free time get more" hands on".
But, now he has a bit more spare time.
Picking up the reigns
Noel Cowley is not just a great friend, he is also a superb musician and singer songwriter. His talents will dove-tail nicely into the production tasks behind the scenes and really help to lighten the load on Trevor Krueger, turning out the current weekly 20 hour plus loop of content.
This weeks loop was all uploaded by Noel as we acquaint him with the technical procedures involved in making it all happen on line. Soon he will be editing programs and, we hope, maybe even presenting a show or two?
Welcome Noel!
It's really great to have someone to share the technical side of the operation and it will free up time for Trevor to get on with the many other aspects of building the Big Ear!
Keep your ears open for Noel, a very modest and lovely guy you will come to love as much as we do...
Owen Plenty V.P. gets a new sound to his show...
Owen Plenty is our "forever youngest" Virtual Presenter here on Big Ear Radio. He's had a long break, but he's now back with a whole new Show you are sure to love.
Originally Owen presented his "Go and Get Grandma" show as a look-back tribute to the BBC's great Ed "Stewpot" Stewart who was a must listen-to show on Radio 1 every Saturday and Sunday morning.
Times have changed...
Ed's show was full of great novelty records and current hits that would especially appeal to younger listeners, Owen had hoped to present something similar as a nod to the happy salad days of grandparents everywhere. But... some of those songs, although wonderful at the time, have not aged well and... well, let's say, they are perhaps not so appropriate these days...
Mixing it up
So Owen is refocussing his attention to the general chart hits of the 70's and 80's and the endless supply of great music it has to offer. But, don't be surprised if Owen slips in a few novelty tracks too, just to keep it fun and in tribute to "Stewpot".
Come and Join Us
The show will certainly appeal to the nostalgia tastes of our older listeners but, rest assured, everyone will love it and there is certain to be countless stories recalled of your Grandparents missed spent youthful days at the school discos.
