For many around the Somer Valley he IS the voice of local radio.

That is not a surprise because Dom Chambers brought the station to air, he is a high profile campaigner and at the last election he was the ONLY local journalist to get to question the local MP.

But he is more than just a voice - or the man who tuned in Somer Valley FM and made the station what it is today. He is a passionate campaigner for local radio, he has mentored hundreds of young radio hopefuls and continues to lend his voice to the power of radio.

Nub News had the pleasure of asking Midsomer Norton's Dom about his incredible story...

What has been your most memorable moment?

Greedily can I give three answers from different perspectives? The station manager has to say the moment Somer Valley FM was awarded The Radio Academy South West Station of the Year 2013. We beat some better resourced other local radio stations from the BBC and commercial sectors. It was an extraordinary achievement taking Somer Valley FM from a classroom project at Somervale school to a nationally recognised brand of local, community driven, radio in under 5 years.

The journalist in my has to say the time the person I was interviewing unexpectedly started talking about the moment he actually died and then came back to life. This is a journalists' dream and I ran with it getting the most remarkable description of what had happened to this person. He was very charismatic and articulate which added joy to his exceptional story. That person went on to be a presenter at Somer Valley FM for many years.

When all is said and done, though, it is the human in me that cites my most memorable moment. It was only a few weeks ago when a 19 year old was sitting in my office and chatting. He had first come to us aged 11. Amidst the flow of his patter he said, "I was the awkward autistic child who never spoke. Now I an awkward autistic child that you can't shut up. Thank you Dom and Somer Valley FM." That neatly captures what it has all been about for me.

Who have you most enjoyed meeting?

I have met the pope, the Dali Lama and Suggs from Madness. Aged 13 I met Les Dawson who really cheered me up in my awkward teenage state on angst. I meet lots of people. I love meeting people and am deeply fascinated by people and their lives. Long before I ever knew what I wanted to do for a living I traipsed round the country having conversations and capturing stories. I can not single any one person out because everyone has a story and they all have equal validity. If push comes to shove though I'd have to say those young people from Somervale school I met when I first came here in 2008. Together we built something and in so doing they build their careers and positive pathways. Many are still impacting positively on what I do and contributing so much to my current landscape. These are fantastic, enduring friendships I was not expecting to make in my early forties.

For people who might not know you - did you start the station ?

Somer Valley FM was the vision of local B&NES councillor Chris Watt working with the former head of Somervale, Michael Gorman, and deputy head Mark Kenny. Central to that vision was linking skills based learning opportunities for school students with giving the community its own voice. They got a radio license, funding, a premises and a bunch of you people who wanted to be part of it. The only thing missing was someone who knew anything about broadcasting. That is where I came in. The project was two years old when I was employed to set up and launch the station which we achieved three months after I started. Shortly after that the board invited me to be a director and that was twelve years ago.

What is your background ?

Professionally I am a radio presenter having worked for all sectors including BBC and commercial networks, apart from Prison Radio. Although I'm not sure I can say that now as I do workshops in Wandsworth Prison. I had to do all sorts of other occupations before I turned professional in radio including decorating, selling double glazing and DJ'ing. My personal background is quite stimulating. Perhaps the is inevitable given that my mother had been a nun and my father a monk! I come from American and Scottish lineage with a dash of Eastend dockers thrown in to the mix. All my forebears were catholic and largely got on by their own endeavour which I am very proud of.

For the media students out there how did you start in radio?

I joined hospital radio and trained myself. Turning professional was not easy and I had lots of stops and starts. Eventually it went my way after, at times, logic defying determination. I have always been immensely ambitious. It is only in recent years that this found direction and for that I have Somer Valley FM to thank.

Any tips for aspiring radio presenters/or wanting to work in the industry?

Identify where the opportunities are and then go for it with outward charm and professionalism that is driven by inner, gritty determination.

What are you going to be doing ?

I now work full time for the charity I started, the Somer Valley Education Trust. This is based in Midsomer Norton but has a vision to grow across the UK. I also have some national roles which keep me busy.

For Somer Valley Fm what do you hope for?

I believe there will always be a need for quality audio that informs and entertains. Somer Valley FM does this in bucketful's by empowering local people with a voice. One way or another it will be around and is needed to be around for many years to come. I think Somer Valley FM will live longer than use of the word radio.

What advice would you offer the next station manager?

Immerse yourself in the life of the area. That is how you discover that the radio station is central to the fabric of community life.

What will you miss most about being on air?

At the moment my broadcasting skills are channelled into driving a charitable vision. That is why I am mainly podcasting. Like so many other presenters I am currently off the BBC but you never know what is around the corner. Perhaps studio time going forward may be more as a guest than as a presenter!

Dom Chambers is not going to be resting, among his other roles he is:

- CEO at The Somer Valley Education Trust that improves lives, communities and society by building confidence and communication skills. This is now his main occupation and he is implementing an expansion strategy as we go into year 4 on 1st September. All media training undertaken at Somer Valley FM is the responsibility of the Trust.

- He continues to be Executive director at Somer Valley FM supporting the new manager as he comes into post.

- Chair of the Audio & Radio Emergency Fund. This for the UK radio industry.

-Trustee of the Radio Academy.

- Director of the Community Media Association. The national representative body for community radio. He was a the former chair and his name has gone forward to be the next chair following a meeting in September.

- Chair of the Local Radio Alliance. Currently preoccupied with delivering Local Radio Day 2020 partnering the BBC, CMA and Radio Academy.

- Podcaster – Dom produces the DHI podcast for Bath based Developing Health & Independence. He also produces inRadio, which is part of the Radio Today site and is a podcast about the educational and social benefits of local radio.