COUNTY Durham's newest radio station finished a month-long trial at the weekend, and staff are hoping it will lead to a permanent licence.

Radio Teesdale, in Barnard Castle, came to the end of its 28-day trial on Sunday, and moves are already under way to begin the process of obtaining a permanent licence.

Trevor Honeyman, chairman of Teesdale Community Broadcasting, the parent organisation responsible for the station, said the trial had gone better than expected.

He said: "I was there when it went off the air on Sunday and it was quite sad. Everyone involved has done a fantastic job. The feedback we have had has been excellent, and there is a huge groundswell of support for the station."

The station must wait six months before it can apply for another temporary licence. But Mr Honeyman says there is a possibility a permanent licence can be obtained before then.

An appraisal of the station and the trial is being carried out by Caroline Mitchell, from the media department at the University of Sunderland. A report and business plan is being assembled for Ofcom.

Mr Honeyman said: "We are hoping to get a bigger team of volunteers. We will also be looking at what worked best and when our peak listening hours were, so it will be a slightly different shape.

"The hard thing is going to be getting funding to keep it running permanently. We think we will have to look towards sponsorship. We want to keep it clear of adverts, as that is for commercial stations not community stations."