Basildon radio station founder earns British Empire Medal

Doug Wootton

23 June 2024 at 7:00 am·1-min read

Gateway 97.8 director and founder Ros Connors <i>(Image: Gateway 97.8)</i> — Gateway 97.8 director and founder Ros Connors *(Image: Gateway 97.8)*

Ros Connors, founder and director of Basildon-based radio station, Gateway 97.8, has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the King's Birthday Honours.

Having established the station in 2006, Ms Connors first started broadcasting in 1988 and has gone on to conduct thousands of interviews, as well as dedicating thousands of hours to volunteering.

More than just a broadcaster, she's introduced initiatives like Community Action which gives charities a platform and airtime to make their appeal; and Job Spot, which gives an opportunity for people to apply for jobs through the station.

She said: "It is awesome to be recognised in the King's Birthday Honours for my work over the years bringing truly local radio to Basildon, and I also want to thank His Majesty and wish him well."

Gateway 97.8 is based in the Eastgate Centre in Basildon; to listen, visit gateway978.com or tune in to 97.8FM in Basildon and East Thurrock.

AFP
As ice melts, Everest's 'death zone' gives up its ghosts
On Everest's sacred slopes, climate change is thinning snow and ice, increasingly exposing the bodies of hundreds of mountaineers who died chasing their dream to summit the world's highest mountain.Sherpa said that bringing one body down from close to Lhotse's 8,516 metre peak -- the world's fourth-highest mountain -- had been among the hardest challenges so far.
Evening Standard
Jay Slater: Tenerife police looking into reports of 'teenager watching Euro games' on island
Several reports have been made to police about potential sightings of the teenager since he went missing more than a week ago
Sky News
Jay Slater's mother gives update and says family want to withdraw money from GoFundMe
Jay Slater's mother has said the family are working with GoFundMe to withdraw some of the £36,000 that has been raised since the teenager disappeared. Ms Duncan, who is on the Spanish island with Mr Slater's father and brother, added that "part of these funds" will also be used to fly out the "loved ones" of the "wonderful people who are by my side" so that "we can support each other during these dark times".
The Telegraph
Benefits cheat tried to leave UK with £50,000 stuffed down her leggings
A benefits cheat was caught after police found £50,000 stuffed down her leggings as she tried to leave the country via the Channel Tunnel.
The Independent
Jay Slater machete gang attack victim hits out at internet trolls and urges them to help find teenager
The alleged victim told TikTok trolls ‘Have some respect and help find this boy and get him back to his family’
OK! Magazine
This Morning under fire over Jay Slater coverage - as missing teen is 'spotted' in Tenerife
This Morning has been criticised by viewers for its coverage of missing teen Jay Slater – while reports have suggested he's been 'spotted' watching the Euros in Tenerife
The Independent
Boy, 14, was held down and hacked to death at Wyoming mall while he tried to protect his girlfriend
Dominique Antonio Richard Harris and Jarreth Plunkett, both 15, are accused of murdering 14-year-old Bobby Maher during fatal attack
Manchester Evening News
'It was at that point I just knew I'd been done over'
Ionie Smallwood said she was 'completely done over'
Evening Standard
OPINION - Keir Starmer crossed a big line when he called Rishi Sunak a liar — he shouldn't have done it
Now, the issue here isn’t the truthfulness or accuracy of Rishi Sunak’s claims about Labour’s tax plans: I quite accept that those claims are, to put it mildly, debatable. There were a hundred circumlocutions you could use: if Sir Keir had spluttered, “that’s not true!” it would have meant exactly the same thing, but would have been entirely unproblematic. Once, scrupulous people would use the word “untruth” in denying the veracity of a statement and this too would lack the terrible force of the word “lie”, which implies a deliberate intention to deceive.
Yahoo News UK
The half-cut tree that's become an unlikely tourist attraction
The tree it was chopped in half as a result of a dispute between neighbours.
Sky News
Paramedic found dead along with woman had appeared in Channel 4 series 999: On The Frontline
A paramedic found dead along with a woman at a house in Staffordshire had appeared in the Channel 4 show 999: On The Frontline. Police have opened a murder investigation after the bodies of Daniel Duffield, 24, and Lauren Evans, 22, were discovered in a property in Hednesford, Cannock, at around 12.30pm on Tuesday afternoon. Mr Duffield worked for West Midlands Ambulance Service and featured in an episode of 999: On The Frontline which was broadcast in March.
Sky News
Jay Slater: Spanish authorities remain silent on missing teen while online conspiracies reach fever pitch
What was a sprawling operation last week now feels more focused, with a cluster of officers from the Civil Guard telling me they were looking at a particular ravine with a nearby water source. Gesturing to the other side of the uneven terrain, one explained how they needed special equipment to access an area that is difficult to traverse on foot. The changeable conditions we've seen in the Rural de Teno national park over the past week have included not just the high temperatures you'd expect in Tenerife, but also cloud cover, high winds and rain.
Manchester Evening News
British man rescued by police in Jay Slater search says he 'didn't need saving'
Former housing project director and experienced hiker David Larkin said he didn't "want to appear ungrateful" and "thanked them for their concern but I was fine"
Evening Standard
Anger over Keir Starmer's Bangladesh remarks as councillor quits and Labour MP candidates issue statements
Sir Keir Starmer says he didn’t mean to ‘cause any concern or offence’
The Independent
Two men arrested after police discovered that three women and a teen were held captive in a shipping container
Two of the females were sexually assaulted and one of the suspects had used ‘multiple weapons’ to threaten the victims, police say
CNN
A 12-year-old suffocated to death at camp after he was confined in a fully enclosed bivy sack, autopsy report says
A boy from New York journeyed to North Carolina for camp but did not survive his first night, authorities said. Now, his death is being investigated as a homicide.
Manchester Evening News
'I ruled Manchester with guns and drugs – nighttime became murder time'
A former gang leader from Rusholme has described how gun violence was just part of everyday life, and shared the moment he realised that it was only a matter of time before an innocent bystander would be killed
The Telegraph
Woman who crashed into Wimbledon school killing two girls had seizure and will not face action
The driver of a Land Rover that ploughed into a school in Wimbledon, killing two eight-year-old girls, will face no criminal charges as she had an epileptic seizure at the wheel, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Evening Standard
Met Police officer sacked after being found not guilty of sexual assault on work night out
PC Jonathan Lee has been barred from serving again
The Telegraph
Labour will make every UK borough take ‘fair share’ of migrants, says Rayner
Every borough in the UK will be required to take their “fair share” of asylum seekers under a Labour government, Angela Rayner has pledged.

Latest stories