20/09/2025
We send out our special greetings this week to new listeners who join us as "Freshers", starting their student life at the University of Bristol, University of West of England, and Bath University. The West Country has much to offer, but these few weeks of settling in to a new place to live and making new contacts can be stressful for many, even if they appear to be coping. Many students struggle with homesickness, and their mental health at this time of great change and transition. For LGBTQIA students, this experience can be compounded if they are not truly out and have no LGBT+ friends. This is where the local student LGBT+ Society can help. There are also student listening services available, sometimes called Nightline, and they should be active in all Universities and colleges. The radio and television can be an important friend to people going to university for the first time, especially grass roots radio services such as this one. You can find the LGBTQIA magazine programme "ShoutOut" going out at this time each week on BCFM in Bristol and Bath Sound in Bath. Finally, there are also student radio services in each city, providing entertainment and discussing issues from a student point of view. In Bristol, you can find The HUB broadcasting on DAB+ across the city, and in Bath, URB broadcasts across campus on 1449 kHz medium wave. Be sure to listen regularly to all these services, as they can advise and entertain. More than anything though, we wish you pleasant studies and a great new life in Bristol and Bath.
