A TRANSMITTING station near Ludlow will be celebrating its 80th birthday next week. 

The Mayor of Leominster and the Deputy Mayor of Ludlow will be attending a special event at Woofferton to mark the occasion, along with other dignitaries. 

The station was originally built by the BBC during the Second World War to house additional shortwave (HF) broadcasting transmitters. 

When it officially started broadcasting on October 17, 1943 it had six 50 kW RCA transmitters, obtained by lend-lease. The site has been modernised many times over the years and is now DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) capable providing daily digital radio programmes.

The station is used to broadcast shortwave radio programmes to many parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, North and Central Africa, the Middle East and South Amercia for BBC World Service, as well as as Deutsche Welle, Voice of America, and Voice of Vietnam, among other international broadcasters. The site is also used for satellite communications and monitoring.

It also has a 300-watt transmitter for BBC Hereford and Worcester, as well as a 1KW VHF FM transmitter for Ludlow commercial station, Sunshine Radio.