Cardinal at centre jubilee

Cardinal Heenan, Sirtharles Curran, chairman of the BBC and Mr Anthony Pragnell, deputy director general of the Independent Broadcasting Authority, attended celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary last week of the Catholic Radio and Television Centre.
The centre, at Hatch End, Middlesex, was at the same time host to the English Festival of Religious Sound Broadcasting for three days, which began after the Cardinal had celebrated a special Mass last Thursday.
Fr Agnellus Andrew OEM, director of the centre, said the entry of 43 programmes from the BBC, local independent and commercial stations had surprised him by its size.
Judges included Cindy. kert. the singer, Mr Penry Jones, IBA Deputy Head of Programmes, Fr John Stapleton, professor of communications at Wonersh Seminary and Mr Kevin Mayhew, the music publisher and composer.
The broadcasting festival is run by UNDA, the international Catholic Association for Radio and Television which has affiliates in 107 countries and has its headquarters at the centre.
This international connection is reflected among the 3,000 students, 500 from abroad, who have graduated as radio and television producers and communicators since the centre opened. Fr Agnellus said about half were clergy and half laity and not all were Catholic. This won praise from the Baptist Mayor of Harrow, Alderman Graham Ilines, speaking at the opening of the festival.
First prize in the religious songs section went to Forgiveness by Colin Sernper of the BBC, who based it on the reconciling work of Fr Desmond Wilson in Northern Ireland, the priest who recently resigned from his parish in Belfast. It was sung by Cindy Kent, formerly of The Settlers group, who also composed the music.
The prize in the Renewal through a Message of Christian Joy category went to an Easter Programme from Radio Sheffield produced by Fr John Grady, (who was trained at Hatch End), presented by Josie Smith.
In the Reconciliation category the prize went to Radio Medway for a programme on Aylesford Priory. Courage to Build Anew, produced by Peter Glanville, with Fr Pat O'Leary.
"Forgiveness" was heard on Radio 4's Sunday Magazine on Sunday and on BBC Radio Sheffield, whose team sent their programme live from Hatch End during the festival.
The centre' and Fr Agnellus received tributes from Cardinal Heenan, as well as Cardinal Gray of Scotland and Bishop Holland of Salford, president of the Mass Media Commission, of which Hatch End is the headquarters, when they attended the prizegiving on Saturday. Local radio prizewinners were presented with £25 each, the others an UNDA dove. Six of the programmes chosen will go to the International Festival of Religious Television in Seville, Spain, in October.