FEATURE: Group produce audio version of the Chard & Ilminster News

Newsline provides a weekly audio memory stick of local news read from the Chard and Ilminster News and occasional magazine items of local interest.

The group started in its present form in 1986, taking over from Chard and District Round Table, which had produced a local talking newspaper since 1977.

It takes eight people to produce the weekly show, including an editor, three readers, people to organise the memory sticks and post them and someone to record it.

The group consists of about 30 volunteers who take it in turns every four weeks to produce the show.

The process starts on a Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning when the editor for the week picks up a copy of the paper.

The editor will sift through it, picking out the main stories on each page, along with local events which appear in the News in Brief sections or leisure.

Harveys Homes - where the group produce the show.

Depending when the group produce their show, either at 2pm or 7pm on Wednesday, the editor prepares three files of clippings from the week’s newspaper for the three readers.

One of the more popular sections of the paper they read is the announcements, including births, deaths and marriages, which always appears as track three on the show.

The hour-long show is recorded and then replica memory sticks are created to be posted in yellow pouches on Thursday morning.

Chairman Alma Bird said when she joined the group 20 years ago more than 100 recordings were sent out but that number has dropped to 30.

Alma Bird plugs in one of the data sticks.

She urged more people who may be visually challenged, or want to volunteer, to come forward and join the group.

She added: “If someone is interested I will go around to their house, show them how the equipment works and how it can benefit them.

“It is useful because people can just listen to the news rather than having to struggle reading it for themselves or have a friend read it to them because it is all in a one-hour show – I would like to see more listeners and more volunteers.

“When I leave my position in June next year I want there to be a position for everyone filled. People do not have to read if they do not want to – there are plenty of background jobs. I want to take it back to what it was when I left.”

Graham Everitt, who records the show, said he decided to take on the role due to his background in broadcast media.

Graham Everitt controls the sound recording of the show.

He added: “I have been doing it for around a year – we do need people who can record the show. You do not need to be a whizz on the computer, you just need to be computer literate.”

The group posts memory sticks to the Laurel Centre and Chard WATCH groups for people to enjoy there.

Susan George, who has worked on the show for ten years, said: “We pick out what we think are the best stories and work our way through them. We sift through to see which stories would be most interesting to people.

“When there are lots of pictures on the page it makes it challenging for us but we try and just describe what is in the pictures and what people are wearing so people can visualise it.”

Christmas and New Year are the only times shows are not recorded.

Local Talking Newspaper has been in existence since 1970 with more than 500 groups throughout the UK.

Newsline is a registered charity produced free of charge for the visually impaired in South-West Somerset. Postage is free for the visually impaired.

It is indebted to the many individuals and organisations for their generous donations which cover expenses incurred in the production of memory sticks including purchasing equipment, maintenance and repair, insurance and studio expenses.

Anyone interested in helping should contact Alma Bird at bird96@btinternet.com