IT'S good to talk!And that is certainly the case for a group of youngsters from an Ipswich school who have overcome the odds to land themselves an FM radio show.

IT'S good to talk!

And that is certainly the case for a group of youngsters from an Ipswich school who have overcome the odds to land themselves an FM radio show.

Next month pupils at Beacon Hill School will become the first in the country to present a show on an FM frequency thanks to Ipswich Community Radio (ICR).

The school is one which specialises in helping youngsters overcome communication issues - and that is exactly what some of them seem to have done.

Pupils at the Sidegate Lane West school have been spending the last ten months honing their skills as DJs and presenters with an ICR show.

Now, as the station prepares to begin broadcasting full-time on FM on May 24 - the school too is looking forward to increasing its listener capacity.

Fyfe Johnston, Information Communication Technology co-ordinator at the school, said the radio show had provided the youngsters with an ideal forum to communicate with the wider community.

He said: “We have an awful lot of children with autistic spectrum disorders and simple things like having a conversation, explaining themselves or explaining a story can be incredibly difficult.

“Having a radio show seems to help and provides them with a real impetus.”

The school caters for children aged five to 16 and about 25 to 30 children have been involved with the radio club.

Their show, called School Dudes, runs every Wednesday from 1.30pm to 2pm and is listened to by hundreds of fans, many from other schools in the town.

Guests so far have included Rolf Marshall, a world champion deep sea fisherman who works at the school; doctor Gary Mesibov of Americam autism group Treatment and Education of Children with Autism and related Communication-handicapped Children (TEACCH) and a Beacon Hill pupil who was on holiday in the summer when part of the wing fell off the plane in which he was travelling.

Mr Johnston added: “We have had good feedback and Ipswich Community Radio has offered us a show on the FM frequency because we have a lot of listeners.

“It is absolutely fabulous and the children are really working hard.”

Have you listened to the show? What did you think? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.