Category: News

An award-winning local journalist turned PR is putting a fresh ‘spin’ on her interview skills after teaming up with a new community radio station.

Amanda Chalmers of Chalmers News PR based in Warwick, is launching her own live talk show for Vibe25 Radio akin to Radio 4’s long-running Desert Island Discs.

The station, which launched in Hampton-in-Arden in February, is rapidly emerging as one of the Midlands’ most exciting and community-driven broadcast platforms, blending music, creativity, and social impact to create a unique listening experience.

Broadcasting across multiple platforms, and using the latest state-of-the-art technology, Vibe25 Radio offers a diverse schedule of shows spanning everything from 80s classics and drive-time hits to dance, trance, and specialist programming, delivered by a passionate team of presenters and volunteers.

In one of the newest shows, ‘Chat With Chalmers,’ launching on April 6^th, Amanda interviews interesting people behind some of the most inspiring small local businesses, charities and organisations, all making a difference in their community.

She said: “I am extremely excited about this new chapter, which marks the latest of my new personal challenges, designed to take me out of my comfort zone.

“I have already been blown away by the level of passion, ambition and talent I’ve witnessed that goes into the running of this station and quickly knew it was a project I wanted to be a part of. I look forward to drawing on my journalism experience – and combining it with my love of music – for this all-new show aimed at informing as well as entertaining!

“But those who know my often questionable taste in music need not fear as it’s my guests who will be choosing the songs – all specially selected to support the narrative around their own stories.

She added: “I am delighted that this will also create another outlet in which to help shine a spotlight on some of the amazing hard working people in our area, including some of those I am already lucky enough to work with.

“It’s been 30 years since I last had a foray into broadcasting, spending two years as a volunteer at hospital radio in north Warwickshire, so I am a bit nervous about mastering the latest technology. Surely it can’t be that hard… ?”

Amanda spent 30 years working in the regional press, culminating with a stint in the Stratford-Upon-Avon Herald editor’s chair before launching Chalmers News PR, in 2018. She has worked on newsdesks in and around Warwickshire, including the former Nuneaton Tribune and Rugby Advertiser, and, as deputy editor at the Daventry Express and Buckingham and Winslow Advertiser Series before joining the Herald.

She’s since gone on to win national recognition for her Warwick-based agency, including, last December, being named the 8^th Best Home-Based Business in the UK in the UK Business Awards.

Vibe25 Radio is under the umbrella of the Smiling Families Charity, both of which are run by husband and wife team Kerry Martin and ‘Shoresy.’ The pair say the station will help provide another voice and creative outlet for individuals and families facing serious illness, disability, and life-changing challenges.

Kerry said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Amanda Chalmers to Vibe25 Radio. Amanda brings a wealth of experience as a respected journalist and businesswoman, and her new show Chat with Chalmers will add a fresh, insightful and dynamic edge to our programming.

“At Smiling Families and Vibe25 Radio, we are passionate about creating meaningful, engaging content that connects with our community, and Amanda’s unique voice and perspective perfectly align with that vision. We are incredibly excited to have her on board as the station continues to grow from strength to strength.”

She added: “By combining high-energy broadcasting with meaningful community engagement, Vibe25 Radio is not only growing its audience but also making a lasting difference – proving that radio can be both powerful and purposeful.”

Learn more about Vibe25 Radio and see its presenters line-up HERE.

 Smiling Families Charity

Since being established in the West Midlands 2012, Smiling Families Charity continues to make a meaningful difference in the lives of families facing terminal illness, disability, and life-changing conditions.

Through a combination of compassionate support, inclusive events, and innovative initiatives such as Vibe25 Radio, the charity provides vital opportunities for families to create lasting memories during some of their most challenging times. From medically supported summer experiences and in-home activity days to mental health support groups and community training, Smiling Families is committed to reducing isolation and bringing moments of joy, connection, and hope to those who need it most.

 

When Natalka Hunka accompanies domestic violence victims into the courtroom as a McKenzie Friend, it is more than a job – it’s a calling.

Inspired by her own experiences over 20 years, it’s clear the former Leamington schoolgirl and now single mum of two is on a mission.

The role represents one of many responsibilities she holds as founder of her new business – a future she is building for her daughter battling a chronic health condition.

As it marks its first anniversary, Aspire HR and Training Consultants, in Hockley Heath, can already boast a national award to its name – with big plans to build on its early success.

But this chapter also marks a new start for the new entrepreneur who, at 44, is finally realising her dream, not in spite of her traumas after years of abusive relationships, but rather, she says, because of them.

For the former Kingsley School and Arnold Lodge student, abuse became a disturbing pattern in her relationships, the last of which saw her fleeing her home in Kenilworth with her daughter Caitlin back to the safety of her parents’ home in Balsall Common.

She recalls: “I was stupid enough to keep believing them when they said they would change and would even make excuses for them. They would beg for my forgiveness and the behaviour would stop for a while but then eventually it would always start up again. The experience has completely changed me, coming from abuse, it has made me stronger.”

Natalka and her younger brother Simon were born in Coventry, of Ukrainian descent, a heritage that inspired her and youngest daughter Larysa, to create a Ukrainian hub for the Midlands. It is from here more than 1,500 parcels were distributed since the breakout of the war in February 2022, the effort supported by parents from Bablake School and assisted by family friend Maria Leszczyszyn and Franklin and Hawkins Family Funeral Directors.

Their father Stefan, become a highly respected member of the law profession for 43 years as the Owner/Director and Criminal Defence Solicitor at Alsters Kelley Solicitors.

But the family’s influence is far-reaching – from a little corner of Coventry at granddad’s Hunka’s General Stores, to uncle Pavlo Hunka, the internationally acclaimed opera singer.

Musical talent also belies a huge passion, the student from the former Malvern Girls’ College winning a place at the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music to study music and, at 16, becoming one of the youngest people to ever get into the main National Youth Choir of Great Britain.

But rather than follow her uncle’s example, an overriding desire to one day be a mum – kept her anchored on building a more stable career, eventually taking her into HR like her mum, an industry she quickly fell in love with.

Despite abusive relationships which left their emotional toll, Natalka soon worked up through the ranks at firms across the Midlands, to become HR Director.

But it’s her eldest daughter, Caitlin, – and now Aspire’s newest recruit – whom she credits with giving her the biggest drive to succeed at her newest challenge as a business owner, along with encouragement from her new partner Dan Cooper.

She said: “I wanted to start a business that I’d enjoy and would mean I was at home more with Caitlin, who at the time was in the thick of A levels – and it’s the best decision I made, because all of a sudden, endometriosis was taking over her life and ours.

“She has been through so much with me and, since her diagnosis four years ago, it’s always been my vision to set up a profitable business that I can hand over to her one day.

“But I am a workhorse, and am of the opinion that we should work hard for it. We very much live with Ukrainian ethics and both my parents have worked damn hard. My grandparents came to this country with nothing and my dad together with my mum’s support, is self-made.”

Now 19, and with the agonising symptoms of her condition under tighter control, Caitlin is steadfast in her supporting role, this time as HR/Business Coordinator, right-hand woman in the business, whilst studying remotely with the Law Academy in London in Employment Law.

The growing team also includes HR Advisors Isabelle Powell and, joining next month, Lauren Worrall.

Bringing together Natalka’s leadership and business skills as well as compassion, Aspire HR & Training Consultants is rooted in helping SMEs with outsourced HR services, from employment contracts and HR audits, redundancy and restructuring to disciplinaries, grievance procedures and recruitment.

Natalka said: “I started the business with a simple goal: to make HR support practical, accessible, and human. For me, good HR isn’t about endless paperwork or rigid rules – it’s about helping your business thrive by supporting the people who make it successful.”

But most in-demand has been her support as a McKenzie Friend – a lay person who supports a litigant in person in lieu of a family lawyer in court.

Natalka said: “We provide a unique blend of legal support and experience and emotional well-being assistance to help you navigate these challenging times.

“I’m the secret squirrel in the background who assists with all the paperwork and position statements, provides emotional support and, on the day, I’m in court with them, taking notes and giving them professional support where I can. Most commonly it’s for people going through divorce, child arrangements, non-molestation application orders etc.

“But I also specialise in cases of domestic abuse. I am grateful that I’m able to give back after what I went through. I can relate to them emotionally – the abuse, the emotions, the stress, the anxiety, the PTSD domestic abuse brings with it. This role is very much me, it’s where I find most reward.”

Visit McKenzie Friend Support Ltd HERE.