A family dream came true 10 years ago for Ray Siddique and his wife Sbba when they opened their own radio station serving the people of Slough.

Now Asian Star radio is part of the fabric of Slough life and yesterday friends and supporters from across the town packed its headquarters at the Observatory shopping centre to say 'happy birthday'.

As he cut the anniversary cake Mr Siddique said: "Running this station has been adventurous, interesting and has had its ups and downs.

"Running a radio station is not like a retail business or an office. We have to engage with the community, with the public, with authority figures.

"I have been a broadcaster for 25 years working in many places. But I always wanted to come back to my home town and run a radio station there."

It is a real family affair, Mr Siddique's wife Sbba is station manager and his son Haashim is a leading DJ on the station.

But there was one person missing from the celebrations on Sunday. Mr Siddique's partner in the business Pritam Chagger sadly died recently - but his widow Tochi, herself a veteran broadcaster, was present.

Mr Siddique told everyone: "He is at the heart of Asian Star Radio and always will be."

The Mayor of Slough Cllr Arvind Dhaliwal was another welcome guest.

He congratulated the Siddique family, saying: "You have done a wonderful job bringing diversification to the town. You have brought the cultures together."

The station attracts many listeners from outside the Asian community with its music, news and information.