Rebecca Frank, Head of Production, Radio 1, 1Xtra and Asian Network, celebrates Radio 1 and 1Xtra's successful #1MillionHours campaign.

It feels like the given script that 2016 has been “quite the year”. Amongst political turmoil, a string of legends passing on, and Leicester winning the Premier League, it’s been no ordinary 12 months.

Alongside that backdrop of high-drama in the media, something else was quietly brewing amongst thousands of Radio 1 and 1Xtra listeners in 2016. We put the ultimate challenge to them last December, when we launched our #1MillionHours campaign. This was our most ambitious social action movement ever, all about motivating our audience to volunteer, giving their time to those in need. For the first time we partnered directly with four national charities (Age UK, Cancer Research UK, Barnardo’s and Oxfam), who have worked with us tirelessly to make this campaign alive and thriving in the real world. 

Two marketing campaigns, a cross promotional campaign with ‘’ on 主播大秀 TV, three documentaries, six weeks of priority air time and countless visits to organisations by our DJs later, we reached a grand total of 1,122,065 hours pledged to good causes by our listeners. That's over 15,000 8-hour shifts promised to help others. Now comes the real bit, when those organisations have to work with those pledgers to match them to an activity in the real world. 

We’re acutely aware of the trust our listeners put in us on a daily basis; from recommending music to being their source of news - and we never take that power for granted. By using our platform for a campaign like this, our intention was to channel that power as a force for good. 

Listeners could pledge 8, 16 or 24 hours of time to various volunteering opportunities with our partners, that they can complete over the next year. From working in shops, to helping in children's play centres and daycare centres for older people, cheerleading at fun runs and helping in festivals, the opportunities are as much about young people gaining skills, confidence and material for CVs that benefits them, as they are about helping others. A survey Radio 1 and 1Xtra conducted last year taught us that after the cause itself, personal benefit was the next biggest reason for young people wanting to volunteer. We also encouraged our audience to pledge to any organisation they wanted via social media. The hashtag has become a veritable pin board for smaller organisations up and down the country to recruit people, something we hope continues as a natural legacy. 

It's no accident that we didn't use the word ‘volunteering’ within the name of our campaign. Many organisations we worked with told us it could be hard to recruit young people to give their time, largely due to having to somehow cut through the noise on the social media feeds that they’re consuming every day. Committing to volunteer properly is just that - a commitment in the real world, with sometimes very direct consequences. It's a tough ask, and one that needed more than the existing army of superstar volunteers out there. Our campaign was also about motivating people who had never thought of giving their time before. It was about utilising that influence to stimulate the curiosity in the most unlikely of listeners, just because their favourite DJ encouraged them, or they saw a film that made them think. 

Last night on Radio 1, . There was a definite letting-of-hair-down activity hosted by Greg James, with a mulled wine rendition of Innuendo Bingo, and a rap battle between Alice Levine and Matt Edmondson. But in between the jokes the presenters were reflecting on #1MillionHours, reliving heart-stopping conversations between them and people affected by volunteering throughout the year. Perhaps most memorable was , who spoke about her loneliness and the impact a weekly visit had on her life. The audience was palpably moved, and responded in their droves. 

Now the #1MillionHours army is assembled, the real work begins. We'll stay in touch with our partners to track who took the next step, so that we can keep a better understanding of what motivates and excites our listeners. We're proud to have been a part of so many people's first exploration of volunteering. 

Rebecca Frank is Head of Production, Radio 1, 1Xtra and Asian Network

The 主播大秀 Get Inspired Unsung Hero award has been recognising the remarkable achievements of people throughout the UK since 2003. Here, coach Jill Stidever (pictured), who won the award in 2014 after a lifetime helping children learn to swim, shares her experiences.

I've always been interested in helping people who find things difficult, regardless of what it is. For 40 odd years I’ve basically been playing in water with children who've got extra physical and visual needs and at the same time encouraging them to swim.

To be honest, I sort of fell into it. People started saying “Ask Jill, she'll help you”. I have a daughter who also happens to have cerebral palsy and learning difficulties, so the involvement expanded with her as well.

These days I’m often contacted by people who've tried what they feel is everything in their neighbourhood and are still not succeeding with their particular member of the family that has difficulties. I suppose, they’re looking for a magical step forward, which some people have recommended I might have.  I don't think I have anything different from many other people. What we do in our club isn't magic. Many people have skills to help but often lack the confidence to try. 

The main challenge is that our swimmers don't necessarily learn in the prescribed way. You have to be able to see what they do naturally and then try and turn that into something that is useful in a swimming pool. It may simply be learning to blow toys across the water or moving their legs in a different way where they can get propulsion, there are lots of little things that can help but you do have to watch closely. Observation is key, well, observation and fun. Be prepared to do silly things.

I wouldn’t say I’m a particularly patient person – I’m able to repeat things, but that’s about it. Teaching our swimmers takes a certain amount of creative thinking, although having said that, I wouldn’t say I’m creative either - I can't make things, but in water I am able to think outside the box.

How long it takes to have an effect on a child depends entirely on the individual and the support they have. I took on one lad who I thought would take about three years to learn to move independently in the water, well, I was wrong. He grew more determination and more trust in what we were doing and learnt to swim in a matter of months.

It’s not just about the children, I work closely with parents because I believe they want to know what we're doing, so they can continue it, certainly if they go away on holiday. It’s not unusual for me to be showing a parent a little idea and then literally just hand the child back and say, ‘go on give it a try’ so there's no time for them to say I can't, they've just got to get on with it. Out of the water too, parents learn from each other about where to turn for help in a variety of situations, forming long lasting support and friendships.

All too often people say, ‘we can't do this, we can't take them swimming, we can't get them changed, we can't get them in the water’ - everything is negative. Myself, and all my instructors, try to be as positive as we possibly can. I think it gives the children increased self-confidence, and shows them they can succeed, especially if they become proficient swimmers.

One of our girls, who came to us when she was 15 years old, has now done an apprenticeship in leisure management, in which she had to qualify as a lifeguard, which they didn't think she would succeed in doing, but she did, and it opened up the world of work to her. Lots of people have gone on and done absolutely superbly, but all of them got so much extra just through being part of something that's given them increased self-esteem, friendship, a sport for life and opened so many doors for them. It has a knock on effect, there's so much the sport can give.

There are hundreds of other volunteers who do superb work in all fields, so when I was given the Unsung Hero Award I thought, ‘Why me?’ The only answer I got back was, 'cos you're Jill' from one of my coaches. I feel very honoured. When the 主播大秀 asked if I have other awards as result of the work, I said I've been rewarded for it in different ways, locally, and an honour from the Queen, all completely unexpected, because I just enjoy what I'm doing.

It was something I never thought of before. I'd watch the awards because I am interested in sport, but I was completely surprised by the effect it had with people I didn't know. I had hundreds of messages, emails, and cards. One was from someone whose child I helped 54 years ago.

People in the supermarket who I'd never met wanted to talk to me about what I do. One that stands out was a gentleman who walked past me and suddenly stopped and said, 'I’ve got to come back and shake your hand - it is you isn't it?’ To begin with I didn't believe he was stopping for me. Another time was in a hospital car park, as I was rushing to admit my daughter, and a person shouted, 'Hey, lady!' two or three times - I didn't think he was talking to me, until he shouted: 'Swimming lady, stop'. He wanted to talk about the programme. I thought if it had that effect on people I didn't know, from different cultural groups, how well the information about disability sport must be spreading. It was very humbling.

Since the award, our club has ended up with a lot more swimmers, although there is still a tremendous need for people to take people with autism, a disability we don't really concentrate on. We've also gained more volunteers, not only for swimming but admin too – someone is helping with the books, someone else trying to help us gain charity status, which is amazing because I'm confident in water, but not so much use at writing minutes or organising fundraisers. 

I think the greatest effect of the award is being able to spread the word. You can highlight what you're doing, and enlighten others. You'll find that there are extra people who never thought that they'd got something to offer until they hear about you. It might be that you're talking to a small group, or a large group, but there's often someone there that you find is  thinking: 'Oh I could have a go at that, I might be able to help'.

Jill Stidever is a swimming coach and recipient of the 主播大秀 Unsung Hero award 2014

• Do you know someone who inspires people to get involved in playing sport in their community? The nomination period for the 2015 Unsung Hero awards is open until 22 October - .
• Find out more about  and .

Last weekend 主播大秀 Nottingham staged a special day in honour of busker Frank Robinson known locally as Xylophone Man. Assistant Editor Sophie Shardlow reflects on the day.

It has been the most amazing day. We woke up to rain and grey skies which was disastrous for a busking festival 鈥� would anyone turn up? But after weeks planning the 主播大秀 Big Busk was upon us: all we could do now is cross our fingers!

First thing, we set up for a 4-hour live radio show in Nottingham's Market Square with only a man with an owl on his shoulder for company. But how things quickly changed. The rain stopped and the fun began.

Forty buskers performed around Nottingham including a city rap crew, a guitar playing cowboy, a string trio plus jugglers and 12 foot horn players. Quite a line-up. The city was buzzed and the sun shone.

Music unites people. It makes you stop and smile and adds such a vibe to the streets. Little wonder the buskers were so pumped with the reaction from the crowds. One busker said her guitar string broke mid-song and a fellow busker who was watching just handed her his guitar 鈥� such were the feelings of goodwill. Elsewhere, a young lad who busking for the first time, was visibly overwhelmed by the reaction from the crowd. People were filming and photographing. Everything felt so very special.

There were babies and pensioners, people in wheelchairs and on skateboards, all of them joining in the finale as about a thousand of people sang '' and danced with sheer joy. The brightest smiles accompanied such a feeling of camaraderie - a real sense of making a moment in Nottingham's history.

Sophie Shardlow is Assistant Editor, 主播大秀 Nottingham

Last Sunday morning I found myself on 鈥渨ashing up鈥� duty at the Sikh Temple in St George. There were four of us up to our elbows in sudsy water at the sinks 鈥� a trainee dentist, a solicitor on maternity leave, a student preparing for her exams and me 鈥搒haring stories and laughing about our grandmothers cooking 鈥� good and bad. Time just flew. They were regulars and I was visiting as part of an open morning organised for Bristol Food Connections to give anyone who wanted the chance to discover the workings of a Sikh langar (free kitchen). Visitors got to see and taste what was being cooked, have a go themselves, share in the preparation and, of course, find out about the role of food in the Sikh religion. And the whole point was that preparing and sharing food together connects people.

On that same day there were 13 other events taking place in Bristol as part of Bristol Food Connections 鈥� a partnership festival which I initiated last year on behalf of the 主播大秀.听 Between May 1鈥�11 this city will host 130 events from large scale ones with recognised 主播大秀 brands and starry names to small intimate ones. I鈥檓 writing this on day 7 and, so far, over 175,000 people have taken part in the festival across many sites and venues all-round the city. To get a sense of the scale and size of it you need to look at the .

It鈥檚 a first for the 主播大秀. A ground-breaking partnership event with a strong emphasis on the 'P' word which meant that, throughout the process, how we worked with the rest of the city would set the tone. I put my idea for a food festival initially to Dan Saladino, series producer of Radio 4鈥檚 Food Programme, and Kalpna Woolf, then in Factual TV, who thought it was worth pursuing and our initial working title was 鈥淧roject Pasty鈥�.听

We issued an open invitation to the food community in Bristol and 150 people turned up at the 主播大秀 on Whiteladies Road for a conversation. From the outset we made it clear that the 主播大秀 would not produce the whole event but we would be a good partner and help facilitate and support ideas where we could.听 But people would need to find their own funding and prove they could deliver what they promised. They also would need to sign up to agreed objectives. Bristol City Council, with the endorsement of the elected independent mayor, George Ferguson, came on board almost immediately and we all agreed that good food would be the perfect way to bring people together.

Bristol takes food seriously. It is one of the few UK cities to have an official Food Charter. But Bristolians also know how to have fun. We were inundated with ideas. People wanted a chance to showcase their talents; to help us use food to make connections with people and places the 主播大秀 doesn鈥檛 normally reach; to provide learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds and, from a programme making point of view, we suddenly found ourselves in direct contact with young and dynamic food talent across the city. It did help that, in 2009, Bristol and the 主播大秀 had signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding to work in partnership and I had also run a Radio 4 festival in March 2012 called More Than Words which had shown me that it was possible to deliver something special by calling upon the creative talents and expertise of the public.

Abigail Appleton in had the vision to get behind the event and her support was essential in getting it off the ground with the 主播大秀 Learning Hub at the centre of it all. I formed a local steering group and we all signed up to an agreed set of objectives. We wanted Bristol Food Connections to be affordable, achievable and inspirational. We wanted it to connect and welcome people of all ages, from all backgrounds, through the enjoyment of good food. It had to be participatory and not just about watching. And we wanted it to have a legacy and impact on the city over time. So not your normal food festival.听

I won鈥檛 say it has been an easy process along the way but everyone has kept their good humour and found ways of compromising and making things work. The culture has been one of support and help and sorting things out together. Bristol City Council has been amazingly flexible, resourceful and generous in finding solutions to tricky problems. To deal with the financial challenges Bristol Food Connections set itself up as a Community Interest Company which meant they were able to fundraise for the non-主播大秀 side of the festival but on the basis that any money raised would go directly back into the community and the festival. Nobody has made a profit.

The May Bank Holiday celebrations started with the which was broadcast on 主播大秀 Radio 4 and across the 主播大秀 local radio network and, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday the city centre became one big food adventure playground 鈥� bread, chocolate and coffee trails, local producer markets, buskers, pop-up street food vendors and children鈥檚 events filled College Green, with Italian chefs from Slow Food International arriving to teach people how to make real pizza using the best British produce as part of the Ark of Taste project.听

There was a huge Eat In with people sharing dishes prepared by chefs which had, originally, been destined for the landfill sites and bus trips took people on a Ploughman鈥檚 Day Out around local farms on the outskirts of Bristol to learn about bread, cheese and cider making. Farming and the link from plot to plate has been a key part of the event.

Parts of Bristol which are often excluded from these kinds of events have been running their own markets, food fairs, foraging walks and cook-ins 鈥� Easton and St Paul鈥檚 ran a Cook & Converse feast pairing up single parents who had never cooked before with chef mentors to teach them how to prepare affordable, delicious food and then invited their local shopkeepers, health professionals and community support workers to join them 鈥� making useful connections. The underpass Junction 3 became the site for a pop-up global street food market and planting fair which brought together the local community for the first time

Along the way we have learned so many lessons, tasted amazing things and we鈥檙e already talking about doing it better next year. From a 主播大秀 point of view we have found some amazing stories and made connections which will benefit a UK-wide audience. Personally, thanks to my experience at the Sikh Temple, I have learned how to make chapattis, made some new friends and heard some fantastic stories which may well find their way onto the 主播大秀 very soon.听

Clare McGinn is Head of Radio & Music Production, Bristol & Creator of The Bristol Food Connections Partnership Festival.

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• Follow Bristol Food Connections on twitter.

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Ahead of the first of this year鈥檚 application deadlines, Project Manager, Liz Woodham shares details of the current 主播大秀 Outreach & Corporate Responsibility听scheme, Community Doorway.

Every 主播大秀 member of staff has their values printed on the back of their security pass and one of those values clearly states: 鈥淎udiences are at the heart of everything we do.鈥� That鈥檚 easy to understand when it comes to the 主播大秀 making programmes: we hear from our audiences when they want to contact us about a programme they鈥檝e watched or listened to. But there are other ways we can make face-to-face contact with our audiences. And that鈥檚 where the 主播大秀鈥檚 Outreach & Corporate Responsibility department comes in.

We mount a year-long programme of face-to-face activities, community support and volunteering projects. Through our work we try to ensure that the 主播大秀 has a positive impact in communities where we are a large employer - primarily Westminster, Hammersmith & Fulham, Greater Manchester, and听听where we are currently based.

We have a strong track record of working with a diverse range of national charities over the years, including the creation of video content for the听, audio stories for听, a new website for听, storytelling workshops for听听volunteers and mentors helping the long term unemployed back to work alongside the charity听.

There are staff all over the 主播大秀 who get involved in volunteering with us, some offer regular time to read with local school children, some give their skills and expertise to a one-off production or project, and others use the charity partnerships 主播大秀 Outreach & Corporate Responsibility have to give their time as a School Governor or trustee of a charity.

Our latest project, launched in December 2013, is the 主播大秀 Community Doorway programme. This is a new scheme for charities and community organisations, who can apply to access the skills and expertise of our 主播大秀 staff volunteers to help deliver a one-off project. For example you may need support to create a short film to showcase the work of your charity, help to set up a website, or even to produce a community event of your own.

We are currently welcoming applications from charities and community groups in Hammersmith & Fulham, Westminster, Salford and Greater Manchester that work with 16-24 year olds and/or groups that are considered to be disadvantaged or socially excluded.听There are four application deadlines per year, the first is on 31st January 2014, but the application process is rolling so there are no cut off dates. , including the application form itself.

We know from previous 主播大秀 Outreach & Corporate Responsibility projects that our 听gain a lot working with communities in their local areas, and the groups they work with get to understand what else the 主播大秀 can offer them beyond broadcasting. For many young people, the experiences can be transformational and often spark aspirations of working in media.

Liz Woodham is Project Manager, 主播大秀 Outreach & Corporate Responsibility.

• You can download the 主播大秀 Community Doorway application form听.
• Read Diane Reid's听听about the 主播大秀 Corporate Responsibility Review 2013.

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Then another reunion; Caz Graham returns from Radio 4 to work with (this one is going to get a bit rural: they're both "Lamb-bank" veterans and farming correspondents, with their own Hunters,听shooting sticks and real mud)听

Finally, , the only one still here after 40 years, gets to choose his Top 40. Everybody has left their ego at the door and they're all playing nice in the sandpit: Result.

I'm loving the '73 playlist.听 It was the first thing I compiled back in January and it made me smile then. Not at all cheesy. Bowie, Elton, McCartney, Lou Reed and Stevie. Middle-aged cool.

is Head of Programmes, 主播大秀 Radio Cumbria

• Read Ian's Wednesday introduction -
• Read Ian鈥檚 second blog -
  
• Watch the video of a day in the life of the station on the

Then, it鈥檚 off to chair a producers' meeting for a final catch-up and snag-list. I actually need to explain the term "kipper tie" to a 20-something colleague. Then I get to hold court for a while reminiscing about cueing records and editing reel-to-reel tape with a razor blade. I finally conclude it was a bit like computer editing, only more reliable and possibly more bloody.

There鈥檚 an afternoon troubleshooting session next door at the , setting up equipment for Friday's business breakfast and Saturday's staff 'do'. The display of artefacts and goodies that's graced our reception since the spring has to be carefully relocated there. A little first aid needs applying to the ageing stickers, pens and key-rings that have blown off in the wind.

is Head of Programmes, 主播大秀 Radio Cumbria

• Read Ian's Wednesday introduction - 听
• The photograph used in this blog is from the page
• Submit your own photos from 1973 to Radio Cumbria's collection via听share.cumbria@bbc.co.uk
  
  

We鈥檝e already held an open day, made a time capsule movie, got more than a thousand voices in for a "", done 24 auditions for new presenters and run a boot-camp, put together a (pictured) - culminating in an amazing concert, produced a staggering programme of 40 outside broadcasts and found .

Now we've just got a big carol concert, 1973 Day, new presenter day, a business breakfast and a staff dinner to squeeze into the next fortnight. No pressure then. I鈥檝e bought a new work mug that holds a whole pint. Can you actually buy espresso in pints? I feel the need for caffeine this morning. Anyway, hold tight and join me as I blog my way through the birthday weekend. I've decided that blogging is the new jogging; only you don't have to leave the office at lunchtime, only to return soaked through to the lycra.

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is Head of Programmes, 主播大秀 Radio Cumbria