A volunteer who has been at the heart of hospital radio in Edinburgh for over 50 years has been appointed an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to hospital broadcasting.
Malcolm Kirby – the current Chair received that award from HRH The Princess Royal at an Investiture held in Windsor Castle on Tuesday March 10 2026.
Malcolm has been involved since 1969 when he moved to Edinburgh to study electrical engineering at Heriot Watt.
He became technical director in 1972, a post he has held for most of his time with the radio.
Malcolm has been instrumental in the design and construction of the red dot radio studios from the early days in Hanover Street to the old Royal Infirmary and finally to the current location in the Western General Hospital.
He designed and manufactured the studio furniture, customised electronics and wrote special software to aid in programming.
When the pandemic hit he was instrumental in keeping the station going and wrote additional custom software to enable the radio to be streamed online.
His determination to provide a bespoke, personal service for hospital patients has lasted to this day and has been appreciated by hundreds of hospital patients and their families and friends.
Malcolm was previously recognised by the National Hospital Broadcasting Association in 2012 when he received the John Whitney Award for an outstanding contribution to hospital radio.
Malcolm said: “It’s a real privilege being involved in a service that’s entertained hospital patients for 60 years. It seems that today, just as in the past, there is a real need for this sort of personal service for people who find themselves alone in a strange environment.
“It’s particularly gratifying that we were able to continue throughout the pandemic with our new online service providing an invaluable link between the patients and their family and friends at home – let’s hope this continues for many more years.”
