Bexhill and Hastings Talking Newspaper is 'going great guns'

A meeting was recently held for volunteers in the Manor Barn in Bexhill Old Town. For 47 years the organisation has been producing a weekly programme of local news and magazine style articles for listeners in the area stretching from Little Common to Rye and Battle to the north.

Most of our listeners have visual impairment with ages ranging from 10 to 107 years. However, we can extend our service to anyone who has issues with reading papers or books. Each week a memory stick is sent to listeners, who number around one hundred, and they can access the 90 minute programme on a special, simple to use player which the organisation provides free of charge. Also a significant number of listeners access the programme on the internet by going to our website - bexhilltalkingnewspaper.org and clicking on the "audio clips" link.

We have around 50 volunteers who go to our relocated studio in the centre of Bexhill on a rota to record our programmes. There are four groups of volunteers- News readers, Magazine readers, Recorders and the Co-ordinators who sort the memory sticks and do the administration. We are very fortunate to have plenty of volunteers and, due to legacies, have no need to fundraise at present.

The meeting gave the volunteers an opportunity to learn a bit more about the parts of the organisation they are not involved in, to socialise and enjoy a meal cooked by our chairman Christine Madeley.

If you or anyone you know could benefit from this service then please contact our secretary Barry Edwards on 01424 211007 or [email protected].

Ron Brazier (Volunteer Co-ordinator)