Biography: Lainey Mullan and Ken Bennett

We are Lainey Mullan and Ken Bennett otherwise known as LaineyM and KnnyB (or Double Trouble)!

 

In real life, Lainey works for a local solicitor (it helps to pay the bills) and Ken works for a well known bank.

 

Lainey has been with SHR since December 2007 and Ken joined in February, 2009 being the first patient to join the station. Lainey has experience working as a volunteer with BBC Essex and Ken has been an avid supporter of Radio Caroline since 1964 so between them they bring a wealth of musical knowledge to the station.

 

To enhance our skills we have attended a college course on Radio Broadcasting Skills. Having worked together for so long we often find ourselves coming out with the same comments so we frequently say that we are sharing the same brain cell and we have named him Brian!

 

We form part of the Crazy Crew on the Friday Fun and Frolics Request Show. This enables us to meet patients and their visitors when we collect requests and we have been known to give impromptu song and dance routines on the wards.

 

We also present the Easy Listening Show every other Sunday between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Every show has a different theme however obtuse!!! On one programme, we even had not one, but two, live Christmas cracker pulls. Unfortunately, whilst the presents in the crackers were great, the bangs did not work!

 

Ken also presents the Country Music Show between 11.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. on the same days which means he is in the studio for over four hours, cut off from the outside world for which the outside world is grateful, until Lainey arrives to make the coffee. (Ken still has problems figuring out how to switch the kettle on but Lainey does make a great cup of coffee!)

 

We both serve on the management committee of the radio station, Lainey as Secretary and Fund Raising Officer and Ken as Vice-Chairman.

 

We like to think that our humour helps to cheer patients up and speed up their recovery and we appreciate the responses that we often receive from listeners.