<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div><span id="m_-8608728225447200506m_-5591170601087952864gmail-docs-internal-guid-b4470ac1-b39e-810c-6b95-9fcc5fcd0d05"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/XYaNBmTJtvjenG6GBHU6LlEvfPWSlqEzvIang5JQ_8DlH3L4R27DlO_g3t4tiyo7MTfPHod1s08anEgUJ00ZYsfeAjqvam1vZgbaFV2SOyqnM0ZGsThKBdjDX-0ei2T477xWVZK3" width="281" height="180" style="border:none"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Press Release - 1st January 2018</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Benefits of community media recognised in the New Year Honours</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(28,28,28);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The importance of community media has been recognised in the New Year Honours. </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(28,28,28);font-family:Arial;white-space:pre-wrap">Mary Dowson, of Bradford Community Broadcasting, and Martin Parry, of Swindon </span>Viewpoint<span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(28,28,28);font-family:Arial;white-space:pre-wrap"> were both awarded The British Empire Medal, a division of the MBE, which is granted in recognition of meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the nation.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(28,28,28);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Martin Parry, one of the country’s longest-serving exponents of community media, has been honoured for services to the nation in the fields of Film, Media and Music, an accolade for work that includes rescuing and continuing to maintain Swindon Viewpoint, Britain's longest surviving community television service, as well as for wider media archive work. Martin also served on the Council of the Community Media Association, the UK sector body for community media, where he helped to raise the status of community film and television.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(28,28,28);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Mary Dowson has been the Director of Bradford Community Broadcasting since 1997, steering the organisation to become the pioneering, full-time community radio station that it is today. For 10 years she also served on the Council of the Community Media Association with much of this time as Chair. During this time, Mary was instrumental in lobbying for the parliamentary legislation to provide a third sector of radio - community radio.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(28,28,28);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Martin Parry, who was surprised and pleased to receive the award, says:</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-left:36pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"It's heartening to see this national recognition of the value of community media work, and hopefully will contribute to our long journey raising awareness of the importance of the field"</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(28,28,28);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Mary Dowson, agrees with the need for more recognition:</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-left:36pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“It's taken a very long time and indeed a lot of hard work and tenacity to get recognition for community media. Finally, it feels like our voices are starting to be heard and our contribution recognised. This award is testament to this and I accept it on behalf of all my colleagues at BCB and throughout the community media sector.”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(28,28,28);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Lucinda Guy, Chair of the Community Media Association (CMA) says:</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-left:36pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(28,28,28);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"Our congratulations go to both Martin and Mary for these awards, which go some way towards recognising the huge amount of dedication, skill and care in their work. Both lead projects that are wonderful examples of community media at its best, where the worlds of media production and community development come together, resulting in positive transformation for their local areas and for those they support there."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(28,28,28);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Both Martin and Mary continue to work closely with the CMA, sharing their extensive knowledge and experience with others in the community media sector around the UK.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(28,28,28);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">NOTES TO EDITORS:</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(28,28,28);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Community Media Association (CMA) champions access to community radio and local television for all to change lives, build diverse participation in social dialogue and give even the smallest communities a voice.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(28,28,28);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">A non-profit membership organisation formed in 1983, the CMA leads advocacy for and governance of the UK’s movement of community broadcasters, which grew rapidly following a successful CMA campaign to establish community radio FM licences in 2004.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(28,28,28);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The CMA supports its members to uphold the </span><a href="http://www.commedia.org.uk/who-we-are/charter/" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Community Media Charter</span></a><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(28,28,28);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> of best practice, celebrates members’ achievement with the annual <a href="http://www.communityradioawards.co.uk/" target="_blank">Community Radio Awards</a> and provides technical support including an Internet media streaming service, <a href="http://www.canstream.co.uk" target="_blank">Canstream</a>.</span></p></span></div><div><br></div>\\<br><span class="m_-8608728225447200506HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><div><br clear="all"><div><div class="m_-8608728225447200506m_-5591170601087952864gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><span><div><div><div><span style="font-size:12.8px">Community Media Association</span><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><br></font></span></div></div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><div><span style="font-size:12.8px">-- </span></div><a href="http://www.commedia.org.uk" target="_blank">http://www.commedia.org.uk</a><br></font></span></div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><div><a href="https://twitter.com/community_media" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/community_<wbr>media</a><br></div><div><a href="https://facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation" target="_blank">https://facebook.com/Community<wbr>MediaAssociation</a><br></div></font></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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