Volunteer celebrates 50 years with talking newspaper
BBCA woman who has volunteered for the same charity for 50 years said it's "been the joy" of her life.
Janet Graham started recording for the Redditch and Bromsgrove Talking Newspaper in October 1976 and still helps with the weekly production.
The service is celebrating five decades of operation on 4 October this year, with Graham due to receive a long service certificate from the Talking Newspaper Federation.
"Both my mother and mother-in-law were registered blind so, it's sort of close to my heart really... it's been an honour and a priviledge... part of my life, and my family's life", she said.
After starting out in cassette format, the audio newspaper is now delivered in the post on a memory stick but can also be listened to online through a smart speaker.
With a weekly audience of more than 400 regular listeners, every edition is also shared with more than 20 care homes across North Worcestershire.
Chair of the trustees, Hedley Brook-Carter said it's not just the sight impaired, who listen: "We also offer the service to people who for whatever reason, arthritis or whatever, they have a disability which precludes them turning the pages of a newspaper.
"Our entire service is free," he explained.
Listeners are given a player free of charge, as are the wellbeing teams at care homes.
Each week a USB stick is posted to them in a padded envelope, and they plug it into the player to hear that week's recording.
Alongside a selection of local news and sports stories, the edition, which is published every Friday, also includes a weekend weather forecast and a number of "features, with more of a magazine flavour".
The recordings carry listings of what's on at venues such as the Palace Theatre and the Artrix. There is also a "lucky dip" section of history and geography items and poetry readings, often on a historical theme linked to the time of year.
As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, a cassette with a recording of the 100th edition has been discovered.
It includes a message from the 1978 Reddich carnival queen as well as the town's MP at the time, Sir Hal Miller.
"It's a comfort," said Nicola Hulme, events assistant at Burcot Grange care home in Bromsgrove.
"I always think it's a little bit like a hug. It's like having a hot chocolate.
"I don't think we should underestimate the power of a talking newspaper, for somebody who is partially sighted or losing their sight. It's just that little bit of independence and joy. It's keeping in touch with the local community."
Volunteers and trustees say they hope to continue the service "well into the future" and want more people to join their army of fans.
"The team we have is a tremendously dedicated team and I think their dedication is born out of their realisation of how important the service is to our listeners. Now we need to spread the word," said Brook-Carter.
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