Riverside Radio is celebrating a major national award after its groundbreaking community radio drama, The Wandsworth Way, won Gold for Arts & Creative Radio of the Year at the 2026 Community Radio Awards.

We scooped the prestigious award for our ambitious 40-part radio drama, created in partnership with Theatre503 and Wandsworth Council as part of Wandsworth's year as London Borough of Culture.

The judges praised the project, saying:

"The entry is beautiful and ambitious work. Engagement goes beyond just broadcast and the use of 360 degree sound design is just superb."

Backed by funding through the Mayor of London's Borough of Culture programme, The Wandsworth Way brought together a community radio station, a theatre and a local authority to attempt something none had done before: a year-long radio drama written and performed by local people.

The project gave 31 first-time writers the opportunity to develop their storytelling skills, while 84 community performers helped bring the scripts to life, celebrating the voices, experiences and diversity of Wandsworth.

A proud moment for Riverside Radio

Jason Rosam, Founder and Managing Director of Riverside Radio, said:

"This is an incredible achievement for everyone involved in The Wandsworth Way. We set out to create something that would give local people the chance to tell their own stories, and what emerged was something truly special.

"Going beyond the broadcast is exactly what this project set out to do. The award means a great deal, but the real legacy is the people who discovered they could write, perform and tell stories of their own.

"I'm enormously proud of everyone who made this possible. It shows what community radio can achieve when we put local people at the heart of everything we do."

A huge thank you

Riverside Radio would like to thank everyone who wrote, performed, produced, listened, shared and supported The Wandsworth Way. This award belongs to all of you.

Special thanks go to Lesley Strachan, Pam Fraser Solomon and Farokh Soltani, alongside the many volunteers, creative contributors and partners who believed this ambitious project could become a reality.

The station is particularly grateful to the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority for supporting the project through the London Borough of Culture programme, as well as Wandsworth Council and Theatre503 for their partnership throughout the production.

The Gold award celebrates not just an outstanding piece of radio drama, but the lasting impact of giving local people the confidence, skills and opportunity to tell their own stories.

Listen to The Wandsworth Way

All 40 episodes of the award-winning drama are available to enjoy at thewandsworthway.com.

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