A Slightly Ridiculous Idea…

On 2nd July 2026, I decided to do something that, even by my standards, was a little ridiculous.

A 24-hour live radio show on Discord.

The idea was simple enough: invite people from across the Sealand Sports family to join me throughout the day, chat about their sports and experiences, play a bit of music in between, and hopefully raise some money for charity.

On paper, it sounded perfectly manageable.

In reality…

Well, let's just say twenty-four hours is a long time when you're expected to keep talking.

Inspired by Sealand's Pirate Radio Heritage

Sealand has always been connected to broadcasting.

Long before streaming platforms and social media, pirate radio stations broadcasting from forts and ships in the North Sea challenged convention and entertained millions of listeners across Britain.

Technology may have changed, but the spirit of doing something different hasn't.

This wasn't pirate radio.

It was its modern-day cousin.

Instead of FM frequencies, we had Discord.

Instead of transistor radios, we had headphones and laptops.

But the aim was the same:

Bring people together.

Supporting Mind and the Pineapple Movement

Every Sealand Sports event has a purpose beyond competition.

Our chosen charity for the year is Mind, and alongside the Pineapple Movement we're working to encourage conversations around mental health and remind people that nobody has to face difficult times alone.

The radio marathon became another opportunity to bring people together while raising money for a fantastic cause.

Twenty-Four Hours of Conversation

At 1:00pm on 2nd July, the broadcast began.

Almost every hour, another guest joined the show.

What followed was twenty-four hours of conversations that could probably only happen within the Sealand community.

Topics ranged from:

• Which version of Mr Potato belongs on a packet of Tayto crisps.
• How curling actually works.
• American football.
• Roller derby.
• Tabletop gaming.
• Professional wrestling.
• And just about everything else in between.

It perfectly summed up what Sealand Sports has become:

A place where different people with different interests somehow all end up in the same conversation.

The Heroes of the Night Shift

The early hours were... challenging.

At 4:00am, while I was seriously questioning my life choices, Lydia Grant somehow appeared full of energy and spent two hours talking about roller derby, American football and Games Workshop.

Honestly, she carried me through one of the hardest parts of the night.

Some people deserve medals.

Lydia probably deserves several, but while I nip to the shop for one, I asked Prince James if he could make her a Baroness in the meantime.

Technical Difficulties (Of Course)

It wouldn't be one of my events without something going slightly wrong.

This time, it was the music.

After spending longer than I'd care to admit wrestling with Discord, playlists and technology, everything finally behaved itself.

That meant I could even sneak out with my dog, Vinnie, for a few laps around the block while the music kept everyone entertained.

A small victory.

Powered by Coffee, Sugar... and Friends

As daylight returned, so did my energy.

Tom Burridge kept everyone entertained with a brilliant pub quiz.

Professional wrestler Sir Joshua Goodwin joined the show to talk wrestling and his career.

Stu Edwards, who had somehow stayed awake listening throughout the entire night, was dragged onto the broadcast just before he planned to go to bed to chat about the next stage of his football journey.

Then came Oz.

Given half an hour to discuss the current state of British American football...

...he probably needed another twenty-three and a half hours.

Running Out of Words

By the final few hours, one thing became painfully obvious.

Sleep deprivation doesn't just make you tired.

It steals your vocabulary.

There came a point where my carefully prepared interviewing skills had deteriorated into something resembling:

"You... you're... erm...

Good."

At least everyone was polite enough not to mention it.

A Royal Finale

The final hour felt particularly special.

Prince Michael and Prince James joined the broadcast to discuss the rich history of pirate radio in the North Sea and Sealand's unique place within it.

Listeners joined from across the Sealand community to hear the conversation and celebrate the closing moments of the marathon.

Naturally, because it wouldn't be one of my broadcasts otherwise, I also somehow agreed, while running almost entirely on caffeine and determination, to organise a golf Pro-Am tournament for the Sealand Royal Family.

Sleep deprivation isn't always the best negotiating strategy.

More Than a Target

When the broadcast began, my fundraising goal for the entire year was £1,000.

By the end of the event, we'd raised an incredible:

£1,315

And we weren't finished.

Following the success of the broadcast, Prince Michael challenged us to think bigger.

The new target?

£5,000.

Challenge accepted.

Why We Do It

At Sealand Sports, everything comes back to people.

The teams.

The friendships.

The conversations.

The willingness to check in on each other and help where we can.

Doing our bit for others isn't just something we say.

It's part of who we are.

Until Next Time...

At exactly 1:00pm on 3rd July, I finally ended the broadcast.

I had a brief emotional moment.

Walked out of the office.

Walked into my bedroom.

And promptly fell asleep.

Not in the bed.

On it.

A huge thank you goes to every guest, every listener and everyone who donated.

Without you, none of this would have been possible.

And yes...

The plan is to do it all again.

Hopefully in September.

Hopefully from Sealand itself.

Hopefully with a little more sleep beforehand.

Although knowing me...

I'll probably just trust coffee and sweets again.

What could possibly go wrong?

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