Youth put Lewisham on the radio map

By Sarah Tetteh

Move over Chris Moyles, and make some room Trevor Nelson. There’s a new breed of young DJs and presenters ready to make their mark as Radio Lewisham has officially launched – and will no doubt put Lewisham on the map as a vibrant hub for entertainment next year.
The brainchild of Lewisham Music, an award-winning youth charity based right in the heart of our community, Bellingham, the radio station is already getting widespread recognition and will no doubt soon be up there with the likes of Capital FM and even BBC Radio 1.
The enthusiasm and talent all being pumped into the project is incredible.
South London Press Showbiz caught up with Keith Sykes, the director of community programmes, who praised the young people for their efforts in getting it up and running.
“The Young Mayor for last year, an amazing young person called Jentai, had this idea to set up Lewisham’s first ever youth-led radio station. So we worked with the Young Mayor’s team and Bloomsbury Institute, who have got a radio station as part of their programme.
“So they offered to do a whole lot of training for the Young Mayor’s team, which was amazing. Then part of that journey was ‘how do we satellite that out to Lewisham. So they Young Mayor’s team invested in some of that kit.
That’s where Lewisham Music got involved as they asked ‘can you host the station?’
“So we have a programme of training for young people within Lewisham, so that feels really exciting to have that kind of offer locally.
“We also have the station open, with a roster of young people on the station with their own shows, coming in with their own content, whether it’s music or talk radio shows, just talking about issues that are really important to them.
“It has grown organically with goodwill and support from partner organisations like Bloomsbury and the Young Mayor’s team. It’s really exciting.”
“So what’s next for Radio Lewisham? Keith explained: “We are in the final stages of confirming a two-year funding partnership to take the station to the next level.
“We want the station to be a platform and space for our communities and young people to talk about what is important to them.
“Our young people’s mission is: ‘To give young people an opportunity to learn and develop new skills related to radio, the media and music industry, showcasing our music and our talents with each other and the wider world and creating opportunities for us all to build our dreams.”
So just who are Lewisham Music?
Lewisham Music is an award-winning youth charity that wants every child and young person in Lewisham to experience the power of music through accessible, inclusive programmes that inspire creativity and confidence. They believe music can unlock potential and build happier, healthier communities.
Last year alone they worked with more than 6,700 children and young people throughout Lewisham on a weekly basis.
They said: “We’re always looking to create and develop safe and inclusive spaces for young people, empowering them to co-design our programme of weekly, year-round music-making from our community music spaces in Bellingham. The current programme includes music production, songwriting, rap and lyricism, singing and our youth-led radio station Radio Lewisham.”
Spotlight on Creative Futures Lewisham: Creative Futures Lewisham is Lewisham Music’s exciting creative careers programme for young adults aged 18-30, supporting underrepresented groups across the creative industries into training, work experience and employment opportunities.
This five-year programme is funded by The Merchant Taylors Foundation and includes training courses, panel events, mentoring with creative industry professionals and access to professional facilities to learn and develop.
In the first year they have already co-created training programmes with PRS for Music, Glastonbury Festival, The Albany Theatre and Plus TRBE productions.
This year, they have supported more than 100 young people and have already supported 20 young adults into paid work opportunities, including at the legendary Glastonbury Festival.
If you know a young person that is interested in exploring their creativity then have a look at the activities on offer at lewishammusic.org/music-menu.

Pictured top Radio Lewisham is up and running and ready to take the world by storm in 2025 Picture: John Mannell