JACKfm supports Ronald MCDonald House Oxford with two-day radiothon
Thursday 8 April 2021, Oxford: JACKfm, the most awarded local commercial radio station in UK radio history, can today announce that it will be supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities UK through the launch of a two-day Radiothon, which will take place on the 1 and 2 July 2021.
For two days Oxfordshire’s JACKfm, alongside sister radio stations JACK2 Hits and JACK3 Chill, will broadcast live from Ronald McDonald House Oxford for 12 hours a day. By sharing the stories and journeys of parents who use the facilities, the regional radio stations in the JACK Media Oxfordshire portfolio will help to raise awareness (and funds) for the Charity, which enables families to stay close by to their children in hospital, who are often suffering with the worst of illnesses and require hospitalisation for long periods of time, often far from home. Through all 12 Houses across the country, Ronald McDonald House Charities UK offers a place to cook, rest and recharge, so that families can support their child in hospital, for as long as they need.
This is the sixth year that JACKfm has launched its Radiothon campaign, which has previously supported charities including Sobell House, Helen & Douglas House and Homeless Oxfordshire, bringing in donations of more than £300,000 for the good causes. In 2019, the JACKfm news team spent four months leading up to the Radiothon, which was in support of Homeless Oxfordshire, interviewing people who had been, or still were, sleeping rough. The audio was both shocking and heartbreaking, but raised more than £15,000 for the charity, thanks to donations from hundreds of local residents and businesses.
Collectively with JACK2 Hits and JACK3 Chill, JACKfm is appealing for supporters for this year’s Radiothon, which will see the stations remove all advertising for the two-day period, in order to focus fully on Ronald McDonald House Charities UK. Supporters will benefit from exposure to 88,000 weekly Oxfordshire listeners in the build-up to and during the Radiothon, as well as become a part of a significant digital campaign to promote the initiative.
The Radiothon will see the JACK team broadcast live from Ronald McDonald House Oxford at the John Radcliffe Hospital (covid-restrictions allowing). The team will also set up a call centre to support donations being made to the Charity – whilst more daring members have also agreed to jump out of a plane to help to raise funds. The House accommodated 600 families in 2019, with the longest family stay requiring 428 nights and is currently running at a limited capacity to abide by Covid-19 restrictions.
Nathan Swift, Community Fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK in Oxfordshire, said: “This partnership with JACKfm is an incredible opportunity for us to highlight the need to keep families close whilst their child receives hospital care. We offer a free ‘Home from Home’ environment that allows parents to maintain a routine and provide a space away from the hospital wards. Families are given an en-suite bedroom, kitchen and laundry facilities and we provide support for as long as their child is a patient. Our new 62-bedroom House opened quietly in April 2020, and this is a wonderful way to present it to the wider Oxfordshire community and highlight the important role we play in supporting families in their time of need.”
Caroline O’Connor, Business Development and Brand Partnership Manager for JACK Media Oxfordshire, which owns JACKfm, JACK2 Hits and JACK3 Chill, said: “As a business that is both locally owned and locally operated, supporting others across the region is of particular importance for JACK Media Oxfordshire. The pandemic has created even greater challenges for so many people and charities, so we’re pleased to be able to do something to help raise awareness – and hopefully some much-needed funds – for the great work undertaken by Ronald McDonald House Oxford.”
The JACKfm Radiothon takes place on the 1st and 2nd July 2021 and can be heard across JACKfm, JACK2 Hits and JACK3 Chill. To find out more, please visit jackfm.co.uk.
-ENDS-
For more information, please contact Amy Grantham at Neon Brand Communications:
t: 07738 102491
Notes to Editors
About the JACK Brand
The JACK brand originated in Canada and quickly established itself as one of the most successful brands in North America, today attracting over 20 million listeners. The brand provides an unconventional package with localised, targeted music to give the listeners a fun, energising and connective experience.
In 2007, Ian Walker, Donnach O’Driscoll and Clive Dickens brought the JACKfm brand to the UK, launching the station in Oxfordshire to much acclaim; it is today the most awarded local commercial radio station in UK radio history, having received over 40 industry commendations, including two for UK Radio Station of the Year. Also in Oxfordshire, the brand has a younger spin-off, JACK 2 Hits, while JACK 3 Chill launched on DAB in May 2017.
In September 2016, the team announced the arrival of Union JACK Radio, which shook up the media landscape with a unique proposition that sees every song played on air being voted for by the station’s audience via the most extensive playlist ever in UK radio. Continuing to challenge the status quo, another new national digital station, JACK Radio, was added to the family in October 2018, playing music exclusively by female artists.
About Ronald McDonald House Charities UK
- Ronald McDonald House Charities UK was founded 31 years ago and, in this time, has supported over 50,000 families.
- Our 12 Houses across the UK provide free ‘home away from home’ accommodation for families so they can be moments away from their child in hospital.
- Ronald McDonald House Charities UK relies on the generosity of supporters and fundraisers, including McDonald’s customers, without whom it would be unable to continue its work.
