Poldhu Amateur Radio Club has been named best in the west of England on the first time of entering a regional competition.

The volunteers won the Radio Society of Great Britain, Region 11, Club of the Year Award.

Region 11 covers from south Gloucestershire to the Channel Islands and Dorset to the Isles of Scilly.

The Poldhu Club is now in the running to be shortlisted for the National Club of the Year Award, presented at society’s AGM in April.

Radio Society regional manager Pam Helliwell travelled from Torquay to present the trophy to club members.

She congratulated all the members who had worked so hard during the past year, as it was a pleasure to present the trophy – especially as it was the first time the club had entered for the award.

The trophy is sponsored by Goodwinch Limited and the managing director David Bowyer said: “Poldhu Amateur Radio Club is brilliant. It has hard working members and it is based in a superb historic location, with wonderful radio facilities all run by an excellent committee. It is a credit to amateur radio as a hobby”.

The club runs the Marconi Centre at Poldhu, on the site of the first transatlantic transmission in 1901, on behalf of the National Trust. Club chairman David Usher described the award as “a great honour,” adding that it reflected the hard work put in by club members in showing the public, groups and local schools around the Marconi Centre, training radio amateurs, operating and maintaining equipment and aerials.

They also ran a special event to mark the centenary of the announcement of World War One from the site, by radio to merchant ships.