NEW Bolton FM radio station director and presenter Tina Gandhi has a passionate belief that the town is a vibrant hub of business and theatrical talent.

The 31-year-old host of the Thursday evening 6pm to 7pm Review Show is the latest appointment — and now the only woman on the board of seven who run the predominantly volunteer-led community station.

Qualified solicitor and Cambridge theology graduate Ms Gandhi believes her legal background and her ability to attract much-needed revenue into the station was the reason for her appointment to the board.

The former Little Lever High School pupil, who studied for A-levels at Bolton School, said: “I’ve been doing a lot of work with local businesses and I think they wanted fresh perspective and someone who was a doer.

“I am very passionate about the station. Working for Bolton FM, I feel I can make a real difference.

“I feel the way forward is for the station to work for the good of local businesses, charities and voluntary organisations.

“The time is right for us all to be involved together.”

Ms Gandhi presents a show sponsored by the Mercure Last Drop Hotel, in her home village, Bromley Cross.

She said: “Bolton has the largest number of dramatic societies per head than any other town or city in the whole of Europe.

“The town is full of talent and I love telling the listeners about what is going on here.

“As a radio station we know how to engage the community — we are based in Bolton (at Bolton Market in Ashburner Street) and we are focused on Bolton.”

Ms Gandhi has a longstanding background working for community radio stations, starting off as a teenager as a presenter at Asian Sound Radio, Manchester.

One of her proudest moments was interviewing English humanitarian and author Terry Waite — famous as a hostage in Lebanon between 1987 and 1991 — on her show Tina Gandhi Meets when he visited Bolton to promote an event.

In Ms Gandhi’s other life, she works as a Principal Strategic Environmental Officer for Bolton Council but is currently on secondment to the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) and is managing the Greater Manchester Domestic Retrofit Team, responsible for a team of five officers.

She said: “I have specialised in helping people tackle fuel poverty.

“But I am currently programme manager for Greater Manchester’s Green Deal and ECO framework.”