Talking newspaper seeks editor producers – and more listeners
Have you seen that large, rusty brown bird with a distinctive forked tail soaring high above Reepham recently against an azure blue sky amid “White clouds on the wing”*? That’s the red kite; what a wondrous sight.
Photos: The Mardler
Bringing such descriptions to light and reporting on local events in general is part of the remit of The Mardler, the talking newspaper for North Norfolk, a registered charity established in 1985 based in Aylsham, serving the blind, visually impaired and others, completely free of charge.
The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) revealed that two in every 1,000 children in the UK have a vision impairment and 340,000 people are registered partially sighted, nearly 80% being 65 or older; well over half of all people with sight loss are women.
There are currently around 300 talking newspapers in the UK, and The Mardler caters for around 100 listeners via memory sticks and online, and is actively seeking to increase that number.
The Royal Mail grant the charity free postage on the sending out and return of memory sticks; Newsquest and the Just magazines allow it access to all of their publications; and it relies on a friendly bank of around 60 volunteers in a variety of roles.
Memory sticks recording the week’s news, courtesy of the North Norfolk News and views via the magazine section, are sent out every Friday to be played on the listening devices provided free of charge by the charity to its members. Alternatively, recordings can be listened to on The Mardler website.
Volunteers enjoy a variety of roles, including registration, copying and dispatchers, readers, sound engineers and editor/producers.
If you have imagination and some organisation skills, the charity is currently looking for one or two editor producers, in particular.
But if any of the other positions appeal, please get in touch through the website. Full training is given for whatever the post.
Every day 250 people start to lose their sight, according to the RNIB, and you may have been fortunate enough to have seen on TV the training from an early age of those “cute” guide dogs for the blind. So, a warm welcome awaits you at The Mardler.
* A Memory, William Allingham (1828–1889).
Contact: Peter Adamson, Chairman, The Mardler
Email: chairman@mardler.org.uk
Answerphone: 07774 680726
www.mardler.org.uk
