Meet Macclesfield's BBC Radio 1 DJ - who grew up listening to Silk FM.

Numi Gildert (27), has been on-and-off the UK's biggest youth radio station since New Years Day 2021.

Her first-ever show announced the Wham! single Last Christmas as No. 1 for the first time the song's existence.

After a few month absence, she returned to present nine shows in August, being on air for 27 hours in total with her co-presenter Alex West.

They presented the early breakfast show, which involved getting up at three in the morning to prepare for the 5am broadcast.

Numi, who attended The King's School in Macclesfield, lived in Macc for 14 years on Victoria Road, before falling in love with student radio while at the University of York.

Numi's parents, which includes her mum who used to work for AstraZeneca on Charter Way, still live in Prestbury.

The national radio presenter from Macc also presents for Kent's KMFM, but she the start of her blossoming success to Macclesfield's very own radio station.

"My first memory of consciously knowing radio is Silk FM [now Cheshire Silk 106.9]," recalled Numi.

"I can still sing the jingles. I vividly remember the jingles for Henshaw's Skip Hire in Macclesfield.

"From there I started listening to Radio 1 and just fell in love with that station, but I never thought about presenting. I just really enjoyed it as a listener.

"I went to university, where they have a really great radio station called University Radio York. My friends were involved and someone just said to me once - 'oh you've got a really nice voice have you ever considered doing radio'.

"And obviously deeply flattered, I decided to make my whole life about that, I gave it a go and completely fell in love with it. I started doing it on the side at uni, then this past year has kind of completely blown up."

Numi, who did Electronic Engineering at uni and is currently finishing her PhD, is perfectly poised to follow a career which uses both of her passions.

"My big message to the people of Macclesfield, if I have anything to say, apart from random rubbish on the radio, is I think we are really pressured to be one thing only," Numi said.

"We are kind of funnelled through it at school 'what are you going to do at university', 'you need to think about your a-levels'. People like to categorise, but that's not how people are.

"You can have multiple interests, you can be multifaceted. You can be an engineer and a radio presenter at the same time - that isn't conflicting.

"I actually think if you do have diverse interests that helps you appreciate the world more, because you like more things and you understand more things and you can interact with other people. You can get to enjoy life more because you're not just focussing on one area.

"I had always thought with radio was just this thing on the side, because it is so competitive and so hard to get into I just was very realistic and like it is probably not going to happen. But now this year stuff is happening.

"Radio is absolutely my favourite thing in the world. When I do it, this sounds so soppy, but it is what makes me feel alive. I love music, I love sharing music with people, I love talking and connecting with people.

"Radio is this magical place that is unlike anything else you just can't replicate it in any other medium. So if I was able to do that for a job for the rest of my life. That would be amazing. I don't know what is going to happen next, but I'm enjoying the ride whatever happens."

Numi has 1,200 followers across Twitter and Instagram - but is relatively unknown by Macclesfield. Why not give our hometown heroine a follow?

She is extremely grateful to all that have given her an opportunity in her multi-faceted career, and to the people of Macclesfield for their support.

"My favourite thing about Macclesfield is Macclesfield Forest and Trentabank Resevoir," Numi added.

"Macclesfield is a really good location for being close to Manchester, so if you want to go out out you can. But also if you want a nice relaxing walk in the countryside - it is the same distance.

"Because I spent so much of my childhood and formative teenage years in Macc, it is so nice to go back and walk down the high street and be like: I remember going there or having a date in that Pizza Express [on Market Place]. I love going back and having that nostalgia again for Macclesfield."

You can listen to Numi's most recent Radio 1 shows here, here, and here.

Numi, who also works a day job as an Associate Consultant, is next on the air for KMFM this Sunday at 4pm. You can listen to her here.

Macclesfield Nub News wishes Numi well for the future, and will keep a keen ear out for future news.

Macclesfield: Have you signed up for our Friday weekly newsletter containing each week's top 10 Macclesfield news stories, and one FREE exclusive article?

530 of you have signed up already. Simply enter your email address into the shaded box below.

Free from pop-up ads, or unwanted surveys, Macclesfield Nub News is a quality online newspaper which produces 25-30 stories a week for our town.

You can also find us on Facebook or Twitter.