Talbot Village Trust has donated £1,600 to Bournemouth & Wessex Talking Newspaper to explore new ways of sharing news with the blind and visually impaired in the local community.
Bournemouth & Wessex Talking Newspaper is a charity made up of volunteers who record themselves reading the local news and magazine features out loud for the blind and visually impaired. The recordings are then saved onto a CD and more recently memory sticks, thanks to Talbot Village Trust’s donation, to ensure those affected are still able to follow the local news.
David Finnemore, Chairman of Bournemouth & Wessex Talking Newspaper, said: “We are very grateful to Talbot Village Trust for their generous grant. With the funds we have been able to start supplying memory sticks to our listeners, which are much easier for them to use and allows us to continue to promote inclusivity for the visually impaired and prevent feelings of isolation.
“The grant has also enabled us to purchase an expensive, but essential, duplicating device that allows us to record onto the memory sticks.”
Russell Lucas-Rowe, Trustee of Talbot Village Trust, added: “The Bournemouth & Wessex Talking Newspaper has supported the blind and visually impaired for more than 40 years across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Wimborne, East Dorset and The Purbecks. It is fantastic to learn about how many people the charity is able to reach through their service and is definitely something which we are proud to be part of.”
Talbot Village Trust meets biannually, and will be accepting applications for funding from both previous and new applicants in the area before the Trustees meet in spring of this year. Please go to www.talbotvillagetrust.org for more information.