In March 2020, the Tameside Talking Newspaper had to temporarily close down their weekly service of issuing the local news to the blind and visually disabled in Tameside. 

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic meant they were unable to record in their local studio and, apart from one special edition in July last year during a brief gap between the lockdowns, they have been ‘off the air’ until this month.

The Tameside Talking Newspaper Association had been issuing audio recordings of the local news every week since their inception in 1978.

It’s a local charity which exists solely on donations made to them. 

Their original recordings were issued on cassettes to just 25 people in the Tameside area and, ten years ago, they switched to digital memory sticks. Over the years, they have recorded the news in a wide variety of locations including, for a few years, over a doctor’s surgery. 

Thanks to Tameside Council, they now have a studio in Dukinfield Town Hall. 

Now, more than 100 listeners will again be receiving their weekly local news on USB sticks which they can play on the free ‘boom-boxes’ which are issued to them.

Their unpaid teams of volunteers will, once again, be recording items from the Reporter newspaper as soon it comes ‘off the press’ every Thursday. 

Apart from the local news, the talking newspaper service also provides items of national interest to the visually disabled as well as short stories, musical quizzes, monologues and interviews with local people. 

If you know of anyone who is visually disabled who you think would benefit from receiving this free service, please contact Tameside Council’s visual impairment team on 0161 342 2575.

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