'It makes a real difference in people's lives' - Banbury's Talking Newspaper provides vital resource for visually impaired

Banbury’s Talking Newspaper, which is known as PaperTalk, celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021.

Based out of the Royal Voluntary Service’s Cornhill Centre, volunteers from the charity record themselves reading the news each week.

The recordings, mostly Banbury Guardian articles but also other local publications, are then sent for free to subscribers' houses on USB sticks for them to listen to.

Avis Gallagher has been the chair of the charity for just over a year and is also one of the trustees of PaperTalk.

She said: “I coordinate the Royal Voluntary Service’s Cornhill Companions friendship service, and before that, I worked for the social services, so I was very aware of the good that the Talking Newspaper does.

“We receive referrals from all sorts of organisations and charities to send the newspaper out to people who are partially sighted but also anyone who can’t read the written word.

"After visiting the person and showing them how to use the USB stick, we will then start sending the one-hour-and-a-half-long recording to their address weekly.”

Alongside the local news stories recorded, the charity also records birthday and personal messages for its listeners.

The service relies on around 30 volunteers who spend their Thursday evenings recording the different stories for them to be sent out the following day.

Recently, the service received a £1,700 grant from the Oxfordshire Connected Communities Fund, which it is using to upgrade its computers and recording software.

While the service upgrades some of the near-20-year-old equipment used to record the weekly newspapers, it doesn’t intend to change the way that the recordings can be listened to.

Avis said: “We have thought about putting the recordings online so that anyone can listen to them, but when we spoke to our regular listeners, many of them do not have access to the internet and enjoy the personal touch of receiving a USB stick in the post each week.

“Many of the listeners tell us that it's like having someone in the room talking to them and telling them everything that is going on, including the sunrise and sunset or any roadworks going on.”

In its heyday, the service used to send out anywhere between 150 and 200 USB sticks each week; currently, it sends out around 60.

However, the service is still as vital as ever to the Banbury residents who rely on it to stay informed about what is happening around town.

Avis said: “People enjoy listening to it, and it makes a real difference in people’s lives.

"Many of the people who receive the Talking Newspaper are old and live on their own, so this helps to combat loneliness and keep them in touch with the town."

The recordings are also played on Banbury’s Horton General Hospital radio station and Puritan’s radio.

Banbury Talking Newspaper is always looking for new volunteers to get involved in either the reading or recording.

If you fancy helping the service, visit https://www.banburytn.co.uk/ for more information.