Blackmore Vale ARS, G4RBV

In the rolling hills of Blackmore Vale, where the fields stretched endlessly and the air carried the faint scent of earth and memory, there existed a society of dreamers and listeners. They called themselves the Blackmore Vale Amateur Radio Society, and their call sign, G4RBV, was a whispered secret among those who sought to bridge the gaps between worlds. For years, they gathered in the New Remembrance Hall, a place that stood as a testament to the passage of time and the resilience of human connection.

The society was led by Keith Chadwick, known in the radio realm as M0TMO, a man whose voice carried the weight of countless conversations with souls scattered across the globe. His emails, sent from keith.m0tmo@btinternet.com, were like faint signals in the night, reaching out to those who yearned to belong. The society’s website, bvars.org.uk, was a digital archive of their existence, a portal to a world where voices transcended distance.

From April to October, on every Tuesday at 7:30 PM, and during the colder months of November to March, on the second and fourth Tuesdays, the members of the society would gather in the New Remembrance Hall. The hall, nestled in Remembrance Field in the quiet village of Charlton, near Shaftesbury, was a humble structure, yet within its walls, the air buzzed with the energy of shared purpose. Here, in the heart of Dorset, amidst the timeless landscape, they spoke to the world.

The hall, with its wooden beams and faint scent of old books, bore the marks of countless meetings. Radios of every kind, from ancient relics to modern marvels, sat like artifacts of a forgotten age. Yet, in this place, time seemed to stand still. The members, bound by their love for the invisible waves that connected them, were united in their quest to defy the solitude that surrounded them.

The RSGB, that distant and enigmatic organization, had once declared that the information about the club was not theirs to vouch for. It was a truth as old as the society itself—a truth that lingered in the air like the static between transmissions. Yet, those who sought the club found it, drawn by an invisible force, and those who came for the first time were advised to call ahead, to ensure the hall still stood and the voices still echoed within.

And so, the Blackmore Vale Amateur Radio Society endured, a testament to the human desire to connect, to communicate, to break free from the solitude that bound them. In the year 2025, as the world outside continued its relentless march, the society remained, a beacon in the night, calling out to anyone who would listen.