Qala combines resources to assist local radio

May 1 was a special day for the village of Qala, in Gozo which combined resources to raise funds for the community radio station Radju Lehen il-Qala.

The fund raising activity started at 8 a.m. and went on till 8 p.m. with the participation of many including the band Ite ad Joseph of the locality and the Civil Protection Department.

Money collected will serve to sustain the radio station whose only source of financial help comes from the offerings of listeners.

Throughout the day, people flocked to the village square to visit the radio station and take part in the many activities that were organised.

The first activity was a car wash service with many students and young people giving a helping hand.

Live links and telephone requests were continuously aired on Radju Lehen il-Qala with the aim of keeping listeners informed about proceedings and encourage them to go to the square.

In the afternoon, children from Qala participated in the various activities in the square and donated money that they had collected over the past weeks for the station. In turn, all of them were given the opportunity to take a pony ride with the cooperation of Charlie Muscat.

Sandra Azzopardi animated the programme through games and interviews with the children.

The Ite ad Joseph Band played marches round the village streets and then presented a musical programme in the main square under the direction of Mro Michel Refalo.

The Gozo section of the Civil Protection Department put up demonstrations of abseiling and rescue techniques. Among others the CPD personnel rescued a person from inside a building and from a crashed car. They also performed a firefighting operation. The CPD performances, designed to inform and educate, were under the direction of Peter Mercieca, station officer for Gozo.

In the evening, children and young people participated in a dancing programme organised by Sabrina Muscat in front of the local church.

A tombola night was organised in the village youth centre.

A live link with the Australian-Qala Association was made early in the afternoon. Radju Lehen il-Qala is helping Qala emigrants to feel more at home by means of webcasting in certain periods of the year.

Another direct link was held with Lynn Chircop, Malta's representative in the Eurovision Song Contest later this month.

Radju Lehen il-Qala started broadcasting on July 25, 1996 and last year became the first community radio to receive an award by the Broadcasting Authority for excellence in producing educational programmes.

The radio's mission statement is to be a voice in people's homes, a voice of courage, comfort and joy promoting Christian values.