RADIO production students at St Helens College are celebrating following the news that they are being allowed to front a new radio station for St Helens.

For the past few years, the students have run St Helens Sound using broadcasting equipment at the college and they have presented a number of successful trial broadcasts over the air.

However, the trials only last for one month and the college was delighted when their bid for a five-year restricted service licence was accepted by the Radio Authority.

This means that from September this year, the station will be able to broadcast, under the new name of SOLAR FM, across the whole of St Helens for the next five years.

Kevin Smith, who helps run the station, told the Star: "We were absolutely delighted when we heard we had won the licence because it is a great opportunity, not only for our students, but for the town because the station is aimed squarely at the St Helens community. It will be running 24 hours a day. "

Listeners can hear SOLAR AM on 1287 AM frequency from September.

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