A WEYMOUTH radio station is hoping to be walking on air with the help of a local charity campaign.

AIR or All Inclusive Radio will be going live on FM in 2013 and to finish setting up the station it needs help from the community.

The station aims to get as many schools, students and people in the area involved as possible.

The idea grew out of the award-winning Air Student Radio at Westfield Arts College and in less than a year and a half the project has gone from ‘strength to strength’.

The station was nominated for the Arqiva Best School Radio Station of the Year Awards 2012 and came second, receiving the Special Commendation Award.

The station then formed links with Arqiva to get the transmitter they need before they go live.

As part of the Dorset Echo backed ‘Do It For Dorset’ campaign, which aims to raise awareness and encourage donations to smaller local charities, the station is now looking for donations towards its new transmitter.

‘Do It For Dorset’ is a joint initiative between the Echo and the Dorset Community Foundation, a registered charity dedicated to promoting charitable giving and grant making for charities and community groups across the county. Every charity and community group signed up to the localgiving.com campaign will have a chance to double their donations. This means that any online donations towards the new transmitter that AIR receives will be doubled until the allotted £500,000 runs out.

Station manager Carl Greenham said the station needed the support of the local community and he hoped lots of people would get involved.

He said: “This is a fantastic opportunity – if people donate £10 it will become £22.50 with Gift Aid. That will go towards funding the transmitter and the long-term future of the station.”

He added: “AIR FM is a totally unique project. It’s been created for the community, for people of all ages. It offers volunteers genuine broadcast experience.

“There’s no project like it.

“It’s gone from strength to strength.”

Mr Greenham said the aim of AIR was to be a community station where everyone could be involved.

He said: “The donations are going to such a great cause – its giving the community a voice.”

l AIR FM is also looking for volunteers to get involved, so if you are interested in learning how to be a studio technician, a presenter, a sound engineer or a reporter for local events then get in touch.

To find out more visit aironair.co.uk or donate at localgiving.com/charity/airfm How your cash can help out EXAMPLES of how your donation can help: £10 pays for a set of headphones for community use.

£30 pays for story and music CDs for broadcast and £100 would pay for a portable audio recorder for interviews within the community.

If you are a charity, sports club, village hall or a community group and would like to join the Do It for Dorset campaign, please contact our localgiving.com manager Tracy Melling on 01202 315952.