A hospital radio station will be back on the air in the New Year, after an absence of three years.

Sovereign Radio will start broadcasting again to patients at Lynfield Mount Hospital, after raising funds to repair and upgrade its studio.

Staff have also recruited and trained volunteers in various broadcasting skills.

The station was silenced when wires used to carry the service were accidentally damaged during building work at the psychiatric hospital.

The volunteer-run service suffered as the station struggled to get the fault repaired.

But funds have now been secured and new volunteers recruited, the studio re-fitted and a new computerised system implemented.

Steve White, programme controller, who has been involved with the station since 1987, said it was very exciting to be planning the station's return to the airwaves on Tuesday, January 6.

He said: "It's an exciting time for us because our motivation has been low over the past few months.

"With working full time at my day job at Yorkshire Bank, it has not always made it easy or convenient to sort out the hundreds of things that need to be done to get Sovereign back.

"But now it's happened we are absolutely delighted. We will be operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week and have scheduled a new line up of comedy programmes."

The station was founded in 1976 as Radio Westwood at the former Westwood Hospital in Cooper Lane, Clayton Heights, Bradford.

The popularity of the station was so great that it in 1987 it was asked to extend its service to Lynfield Mount hospital, and the name was changed to Sovereign.

Westwood closed in 1992 but the station continued to broadcast to Lynfield Mount.

Mr White believes it is now the only radio station in the UK to serve a psychiatric unit.

Tony McGall, the founding member of Radio Westwood, will be first on air at 8pm.

Mr White said: "We also take requests so as to cater for everybody's tastes and welcome any new volunteers who might want to get involved in the station."

Anyone who wants to help should telephone Steve on (01274) 741821 or e-mail him at steve@sovereignradio.com. Details can also be found at www.sovereign-radio.com.