A volunteer who has been a part of Edinburgh’s hospital radio for nearly 60 years has received the honour of an MBE.
Malcolm Kirby has been at the heart of Red Dot Radio since 1969 when he moved to Edinburgh to study electrical engineering at Heriot-Watt University.
He became technical director in 1972, a post he has held for most of his time with the radio, which is based at the Western General Hospital in the capital.
Now, the 75-year-old has been honoured with an MBE for services to hospital broadcasting in the King’s Birthday Honours, receiving the award from HRH The Princess Royal at a ceremony held at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
Malcolm has been instrumental in the design and construction of the Red Dot Radio studios from the early days in Hanover Street to the old Royal Infirmary and finally to the current location in the Western General.
He designed and manufactured the studio furniture, customised electronics and wrote special software to aid in programming.
When the pandemic hit, Malcolm kept the station going and wrote additional custom software to enable the radio to be streamed online.
His determination to provide a bespoke, personal service for hospital patients has lasted to this day and has been enjoyed by hundreds of hospital patients and their families and friends.
He was previously recognised by the National Hospital Broadcasting Association in 2012 when he received the John Whitney Award for an outstanding contribution to hospital radio.
Malcolm said: “It’s a real privilege being involved in a service that’s entertained hospital patients for 60 years.
“It seems that today, just as in the past, there is a real need for this sort of personal service for people who find themselves alone in a strange environment.
“It’s particularly gratifying that we were able to continue throughout the pandemic with our new online service providing an invaluable link between the patients and their family and friends at home – let’s hope this continues for many more years.”
