Local radio Station Canalside Radio 102.8 FM has been announced as the best community Radio Broadcaster for the whole of Cheshire at the Northern Enterprise Awards for 2020.

Congleton residents will know husband and wife team Sharon and Stuart Neild for their weekly local Congleton News and Views show on the station.

They had only been doing their show a few months when the pandemic and lockdown hit, but not being able to go into the studio did not stop them.

They recorded their shows from their kitchen and then sent them over to the studio.

For a good part of last year this was the only original continuing weekly show on the station apart from Nick Wright's breakfast show.

In that time Stuart has interviewed plenty of famous guests, including Dick Valentine, lead singer with Electric Six, Nineties singer Kym Sims and Stephen Jones the lead singer with Babybird.

But it is not just international rock stars that have become guests on the show, local people have had their voices heard over the airwaves.

"To me interviews are an important part of any community radio station," Stuart said.

"It's what makes us different to commercial radio. It is about local voices and opinions and debates being heard. If we do not have that we might as well stop doing radio and just listen to a Spotify playlist.

"Luckily community radio allows us to do certain things which commercial radio shies away from.

"Over Christmas the station broadcasted a full hour and a half pantomime which I wrote and was performed by Black Sheep Theatre."

Mr Neild continued: "There was nothing like that on any other radio station over Christmas, not even radio four with the budget they have, but we managed it.

"We've also held our own with highbrow documentary quality content. We did a special with the British Library, real in-depth interviews with the people behind the scenes who run that amazing institute of knowledge.

"We have talked to editors of well-known magazines like Cheshire Life and the Darkside as well as the directors of TV Channels like talking pictures.

"We have had authors, board game designers, religious leaders and councillors. And this is all on our show alone."

Sharon said. "We can't thank station head Nick Wright and chairman Brian Moore enough for the faith they've put in us. We've been able to present shows from early breakfast to late Sunday night.

"It's been an honour and we look forward to carrying on our broadcast journey at Canalside."

You can listen to Congleton News and Views which Sharon and Stuart present on 102.8FM every Monday at 1pm via the Macc App, the Congleton App, on your phone as well as Alexa and all other smart speakers and the internet.