Silver Award for ambitious local radio host 

A Northampton College student with a “burning ambition” to grace the airwaves has landed a Silver Award for a sports show on a local radio station at a leading national awards ceremony.

Will Oelrich was recognised for his show on NLive Radio at the 2020 Community Radio Awards, the culmination of an intensive judging process to recognise those producing great quality content and engaging with their communities.

The awards ceremony was held virtually for the first time, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Will said: “To get Silver in the community radio awards is a fantastic achievement for me but also for the station. I was buzzing when I won Silver as to be recognised at this level feels amazing. The future for sport is bright at NLive.

“It’s a great station to be part of. There is a real community feel, and I love doing my show every week and receiving feedback from my listeners. All the volunteers at the station are so supportive and I can’t thank them all enough, along with all of the staff at Northampton College who have been incredibly helpful.”

Maxine Jones, one of the awards’ directors, said: “The awards showcase and celebrate the fantastic activity of community radio and what it does for the communities it serves.

“This year has been incredibly challenging, and stations such as NLive Radio have proven their value at the heart of their local areas.

“The recognition for the Sports Show is well deserved, and we hope it recognises their success, and encourages others to engage, represent and support their communities.”

NLive Station Manager, Martin Steers, said: “A huge congratulations to Will for receiving this award and for all the hard work he does for NLive and supporting the local sports here in Northampton.

“I’m proud that the station is growing and this award is testament to the passion our presenters have for Northampton, our community and our local audience.”

Will has been studying multimedia journalism at Northampton College and is looking to progress on to university to study sports journalism before pursuing a career in the broadcast media.

Pat Brennan-Barrett, principal of Northampton College, said: “We are immensely proud of Will’s achievement. His hard work and enthusiasm for learning is paying off and the burning desire he has to be successful in a notoriously competitive industry will stand him in good stead. He’s definitely one to watch in years to come.”

For more information on courses available to study at Northampton College visit www.northamptoncollege.ac.uk.