100-hour charity MaRaWthon hits piazza again

RaW 1251 AM left the studio for 100 hours last week to raise money in support of Scope, a disability awareness charity.

Radio Warwick broadcasted live from 11am on Monday 16 February until 3pm on Friday 20 February as a 100-hour MaRaWthon to raise money for charity.

Scope is a disability awareness charity based in the UK, which aims to increase the opportunities available to disabled people. They provide information, advice and support to disabled people and their families.

Arnold Thornton Rice, first-year Film and Literature student and presenter at RaW, said that the experience was “more on-edge” as the team was constantly “battling the elements”.

Arnold T. Rice presents on the Throwback Film show on Wednesdays. During their live broadcast the team faced strong winds which damaged their technical connections; luckily RaW had technical supervisors on hand at all times to ensure the broadcast continued.

Despite the cold, presenters enjoyed the experience, with presenter and executive member Amy-Louise Duffel commenting on the “great atmosphere”. Lucy Parker, a second-year Philosophy and Psychology student also described the experience as “great” despite some of the “strange looks” from passersby.

Both presenters and equipment made the move outside to the central piazza of the University in order to broadcast live and against the elements (albeit sheltered by a gazebo) for the full 100 hours.

Alongside the radio’s standard schedule of talk, music and sports shows, there was additional content between 11pm and 8am to cover the overnight shifts.

Last year, RaW held a ‘MaRaWthon Strikes Back’ event which raised over £1500 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. The student radio station aimed to raise even more this year for Scope, a charity voted for by the members of the society, with donations being taken via their website and texts.

Second-year Literature undergraduate Alex Hesketh told the Boar about his experence presenting through the night: “As one member of the heroic post-POP! overnight shift, new highs (and lows) were reached in student radio quality.

“Musicals about our acting station manager were composed, erotic fiction starring Liam Neeson recited, and a fetching pair of turquoise undergarments were recovered in the ‘Campus Treaure Hunt’, all in the aid of fundraising for SCOPE.

“Thanks and congratulations to all who have taken part and donated in this wonderful, sleep-deprived, marathon of madness. Roll on MaRawthon 2016!”