End of the line for talking newspaper

THE West Somerset Talking Newspaper – which, by arrangement with the Free Press, has provided regular news broadcasts to blind and partially sighted people since 1980 – has closed.

In November, an urgent appeal was made for new volunteers to secure the future of the charity but this failed to make enough impact.

Six or more new people were needed by the end of last year to take over administration of the non-profit-making charity, which cost £3,000 a year to run. 

Its 40 blind and partially sighted clients normally received fortnightly local news broadcasts, supplied by the Free Press, but that has not happened since March. Among other Covid restrictions, tapes and discs could not be sent to vulnerable people.

The expiry date on the lease for the rented studio was 2021 and chairman Roger Hurst and the group of unpaid trustees, who had given many years to the Talking Newspaper, announced it would trigger their retirement.

Mr Hurst added that the continued uncertainty of the pandemic provided the opportunity to assess the situation and it was felt that a new team with fresh ideas and fundraising initiatives would need to take over the helm if the newspaper was to survive. 

“The bottom line is, unless a new team of trustees is found before the end of this year [2020] we shall regrettably look to close the newspaper in 2021,” he said.