Grampian Hospital Radio (GHR) has been named as this year’s recipient of the Celebrate Aberdeen Parade collection fund.

The organisation will use the £1,000 fund to modernise the service its provides to patients, families and staffacross the city’s hospitals, including Roxburghe House.

This will include replacing a PC in the station’s studiowhich is vital for broadcasting programmes, managing music playlists and ensuring reliable daily output to its listeners.

Some of the donation will also be used to buy a new portable speaker system to support GHR’s outreach work, including mobile discos, ward parties and special events such as those it delivers at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital.

Set up in 1981, GHR broadcasts to its listeners from Westburn Cottage on the Foresterhill campus, via bedside units, online, by app and smart speaker. In addition to a daily schedule of music, live programmesand requests, it also broadcasts from special events such as last year’s Tall Ships Race.

GHR is run and presented by a team of volunteers and over the years it has won a number of national awards, including The Kings Award for Voluntary Service in 2025.

“We are extremely honoured to be given this donation from Celebrate Aberdeen,” said GHR chair Neil Fraser. “Like all charities, we need the generosity of others to allow us to operate. This money will help us ensure we continue to provide a reliable and all-inclusive service to our listeners and that we can grow, modernise and reach more people in need of companionship and entertainment while in hospital.

“The events we provide bring joy, comfort and a sense of normality to children, patients and families during challenging times and it has been shown that music and interaction can have a huge positive impact on mental wellbeing and morale, particularly for long-term patients.”

The funding pot came from the collecting buckets carried by volunteers during the 2025 parade. Around 130 organisations took part in last year’s parade, and allwere invited to bid for the street collection donation, outlining how they would use the money if selected.

Since the parade in 2011, thousands of pounds have been raised by the generosity of the spectators who line the parade route. One hundred per cent of the money collected is donated to the selected organisation.

“Grampian Hospital Radio has a proud history of providing vital services to patients across NHS Grampian’s hospitals and locations and this donation will help them modernise and grow and ensure essential continuity of service,” said Celebrate Aberdeen board member John Slater. “More than this, it will directly support community wellbeing, patient experience and volunteer-led local broadcasting that makes a genuine difference to people’s lives.

“As always, it was difficult to select just one recipientbecause the calibre of applications is so high and emphasises once more the great work going on across our region.

“We’d also like to thank members of the public who donate to the collecting buckets during the parade.”

Organisations have until Friday, July 31 to register for this year’s Celebrate Aberdeen parade which will take place on Saturday, August 29.

Nominations are also open for the 2026 Celebrate Aberdeen Awards, with applications invited by Monday, August 17.

More information on the awards and details on how to register for the parade are available at www.celebrate-aberdeen.org