THEY have been filling the Royal Berkshire Hospital airwaves with all things Reading FC for a combined 77 years.

Now this silver-tongued trio from Hospital Radio Reading have been honoured by the Supporters’ Trust at Reading for keeping inpatients up to speed.

The three-man volunteer team of Ian Bruce, Graeme Collyer and David Downs provide a half-hour introductory programme, ball-by-ball commentary and a post-match summary of every Royals home match.

Ian, 67, who lives in Hungerford, is the senior member of the team and has been working voluntarily for HRR for the last 48 years, 41 of them as Royals match commentator.

Graeme, 47, from Tilehurst, has been on board for 24 years while David, 74, also from Tilehurst, is a relative newcomer with 12 years’ service.

David, the clubs’ Academy safeguarding officer, official historian and retired teacher, beamed: “We’re genuinely pleased we are able to provide a service to Reading fans who, for one reason or another, can’t get to games.

“The feedback we’ve had from patients has been very much appreciated, and long may it continue.”

Hospital Radio Reading began its commentary of Reading home games on September 7, 1957 when Les Warth and Maurice Edelston covered a 3-0 victory against Aldershot at Elm Park.

And in the decades that followed HRR has been present for the most defining games in the club’s illustrious history.

David said: “My favourite memory was beating Derby County 5-0 in 2006 to clinch the Championship title and promotion to the Premiership for the first time in the club’s history. I’ll never forget that day.”

As for Graeme, his favourite memory is the opening game at Madejski Stadium in 1998 following the club’s move from Elm Park.

Reading defeated Luton Town 3-0 and Graeme, a regional sales manager for Valor Fires, recalled: “I’ll say the opening of the Madejski Stadium is my favourite memory because it changed the club’s status forever,” before adding: “It also helped us attract that world class talent, Mass Sarr.”

Ian, a retired bank manager, is undoubtedly the veteran of the commentary team and has clocked up well over 1,000 Reading games behind the microphone.

Ian recalled; “My best memory is of Michael Gilkes scoring the winning penalty in the shoot-out against Coventry City in the 1988 Simod Cup semi final. Elm Park went mental. It was the first time the club and I had ever been to Wembley.”

Covering Reading matches live on radio is not without it’s comic moments and pitfalls either.

“Rather like Test Match Special, we play a game where I ask Ian a question when he has a mouthful of food so he has to splutter the answer,” revealed Downs.

Ian, meanwhile, recalled: “I once described Ady Williams as having the ball on the corner of the circle. They all laughed at me.”

The cost of running HRReading amounts to £150 per year which is raised through charitable donations.