An award-winning local journalist turned PR is putting a fresh ‘spin’ on her interview skills after teaming up with a new community radio station.

Amanda Chalmers of Chalmers News PR, based in Warwick, is launching her own live talk show for Vibe25 Radio akin to Radio 4’s long-running Desert Island Discs.

The station, which launched in Hampton-in-Arden in February, is rapidly emerging as one of the Midlands’ most exciting and community-driven broadcast platforms, blending music, creativity, and social impact to create a unique listening experience. 

Broadcasting across multiple platforms, and using the latest state-of-the-art technology, Vibe25 Radio offers a diverse schedule of shows spanning everything from 80s classics and drive-time hits to dance, trance, and specialist programming, delivered by a passionate team of presenters and volunteers. 

In one of the newest shows, Chat With Chalmers, which launched on Monday 6 April, Amanda interviews interesting people behind some of the most inspiring small local businesses, charities and organisations, all making a difference in their community.

Amanda spent 30 years working in the regional press, culminating with a stint in the Stratford-Upon-Avon Herald editor’s chair before launching Chalmers News PR, in 2018. She has worked on newsdesks in and around Warwickshire, including the former Nuneaton Tribune and Rugby Advertiser, and, as deputy editor at the Daventry Express and Buckingham and Winslow Advertiser Series before joining the Herald.

She’s since gone on to win national recognition for her Warwick-based agency, including, last December, being named the 8th Best Home-Based Business in the UK in the UK Business Awards. 

Vibe25 Radio is under the umbrella of the Smiling Families Charity, both of which are run by husband and wife team Kerry Martin and ‘Shoresy.’ The pair say the station will help provide another voice and creative outlet for individuals and families facing serious illness, disability, and life-changing challenges.