Suzie ‘Sparkles’ Stevens, of Grantham, attended a reception for local media at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles III
Grantham’s radio breakfast show hostess has been flying the flag for our town while mingling with royalty, including King Charles himself.
Suzie ‘Sparkles’ Stevens attended a reception event for the local media at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, March 26, and spent time talking to His Majesty about the importance of community radio, especially encouraging more women to get involved — and gave him a sample of Hawken’s Gingerbread, one of Grantham’s most famous exports.
Other guests included LincsOnline reporters Bridie Short and Alice Hobbs.
As presenter of Hive FM’s breakfast show ‘Wake Up With Suzie Sparkles’ from 7am to 9am, Suzie also presented His Majesty with a Hive FM car sticker and told him to download the free Hive FM app.
Suzie said that the King was a very kind and warm man who listened with interest to her passion for Grantham and the importance of community radio.
“He showed interest in everyone he met and was genuinely lovely,” she said, “I also met the Duchess of Gloucester who introduced herself to me and was telling her that during Covid I was broadcasting 42 hours a week across five community stations voluntarily.
“Inside the palace was beautiful all red and gold. We were truly spoilt with a champagne reception and canapés.”
A council member for the Community Media Association, the UK representative body for community broadcasting, Suzie said: “I joined with a mission to help encourage more women into community radio as it is still heavily influenced across the country by men.
“It was an absolute honour and privilege for which I am so grateful for to be invited to meet the King inside Buckingham Palace. I am coming up to 10 years of volunteering on community radio and it is wonderful to be recognised albeit a true love and passion of mine.
“For me the radio is a way of combatting loneliness and knowing that when you tune in you will always have a friend to keep you company.
“I gave His Majesty some of Grantham’s famous gingerbread and I’m hoping he will be tuning into my breakfast show soon.”
