IT is a happy ending for a community radio station set to broadcast on FM having crowd funded more than £5,000.

Donations flooded in when Colne Radio launched an online campaign to hit a huge £3,000.

In just 14 days with the generosity of 71 backers, its volunteers now have the money to fully equip their studio for broadcast on the FM frequency.

It is something the team have worked towards since last year when Ofcom first gave Colne Radio its licence.

Heather Purdey, a former radio journalist who sits on the board of directors, said they were clueless about crowd funding to begin with.

Volunteer Jason Cobb took the digital campaign under his wing and on its first day, a backer pledged hundreds of pounds.

Ms Purdey said: "An anonymous donor gave us £500 which set us up, non-commercial businesses also helped us and people have just been very kind.

"We wondered what we should have as a target because we'd never done it before and wanted it to be a success.

"We thought to try for an amount which would be manageable but we were overtaken by how fantastic it was and the support we had.

"It's raised our profile and is amazing for us because we have to keep it going."

Around 50 volunteers fill the airwaves at Colne Radio, which promised Ofcom 80 per cent of their output would be music and 20 per cent speech.

From its Wivenhoe studio it can reach listeners in Colchester, Great Bentley, Rowhedge and Brightlingsea.

Their upcoming expansion means there is scope for more daytime presenters and music enthusiasts tempted to have their own show.

But also they are looking to make changes to their current managerial board.

Ms Purdey said: "There is a need for us to stand out from other radio stations so if someone has an idea or likes music, we can offer training and are encouraging people to use their hobbies and interests.

"We're all amateurs and would like to get more people involved.

"Being on FM is important because we can help people get their voices heard and Wivenhoe in particular has so much going on."

To invest in Colne Radio's future, visit crowdfunder.co.uk/colneradio.