AFTER many years of having two forces radio stations, the long established British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) and the UK-based Garrison Radio are now one.

BFBS has taken over the contract to run the now defunct Garrison Radio and the whole operation is called just plain BFBS radio.

The local Salisbury Plain studios in Bulford have been given a long needed refurbishment so that station presenter Chris Sturgess has a modern, well equipped studio and regional BFBS TV reporter Shirley Swain will not only have an office, but editing facilities as well.

The controller of BFBS Radio and CSE Forces Entertainment, Nicky Ness, was delighted that after more than ten years the two stations are now one.

She said: “It is a great opportunity for us to run a really joined up operation for troops serving both at home and overseas and for their families to be able to not only hear what they are hearing, but to be able to ask for requests to be played.”

BFBS radio is broadcast on DAB Radio, FM on 106.8 for Salisbury Plain, on Sky Guide 0211 and Freesat 786 and runs a 24-hour service.

It operates a permanent radio station at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan where servicemen and women can send a message home.

Locally, Chris Sturgess broadcasts a Salisbury Plain Breakfast Show every weekday from 6.30am to 10am, which concentrates on local news and plays requests from Afghanistan.

“It is great to be a part of BFBS,” he said. “It is now all joined up and makes sense and the new studio has made my life so much easier.”

BFBS television programmes can be accessed at bfbs.com.