Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland learns of Craigavon Talking Newspaper's valuable role in the community

Siobhan marked her first official engagement with a visit to Portadown where she met volunteers from the local Talking Newspaper group to hear about their important role in the community.

She said she was “keen to visit the group of dedicated older volunteers who play a vital role in ensuring that local news is accessible to blind or partially sighted people by recording and distributing audio versions of weekly newspapers”.

The Craigavon Talking Newspaper provides a free, weekly recording of news gathered from the pages of the Portadown Times and Lurgan Mail.

The band of dedicated volunteers give up their time – and their voices – to ensure local news is accessible for people who are blind or partially-sighted.

They meet up every week and record an hour’s worth of material from the papers on to USB memory sticks and pop these in the post to people on their mailing list.

There is no charge for the service. You do not need to pay a registration fee and the wallets which contain the recordings are delivered and returned free under an agreement with Royal Mail.

Anyone who would like more details or would like to start receiving a recording is asked to email [email protected] or send the group a message via its Facebook page.

There are currently 10 Talking Newspaper groups operating within The Association of Talking Newspapers Northern Ireland, covering every county.