WTN
Wickford & District Talking Newspaper for the Blind
"A Sound for Sore Eyes"
Winter and Spring Scenes in Wickford
Hello and welcome to the home page of Wickford and District Talking Newspaper.
You may already be familiar with Talking Newspapers and already know a lot about us. On the other hand it might be the first you have heard about this type of organisation. If the latter is the case, a couple of questions may have formed in your mind: "What is a Talking Newspaper?" and "Where on earth is Wickford?"
Let us answer the second question first.
Wickford is a small town in the county of Essex in the Southeast of England and those of us who live there are very fond of the place. We are some 35 miles from London and close to the towns of Basildon and Southend on Sea. You can find a great deal more about Essex by clicking on http://www.thisisessex.co.uk
Now to the most important question as far as this site is concerned: "What is a Talking Newspaper?"
Essentially, it is local news recorded on cassette tape. The service is aimed at blind and partially sighted people, severely physically handicapped and others who find reading a strain.
As you browse through the photographs displayed on the various pages of this web site, spare a thought for those who, through failing eyesight, cannot enjoy them as much as you. It is so easy to take good vision for granted, isn't it. Most of you will have no difficulty in reading this page, then later today, you may well pick up and enjoy a newspaper, magazine or even your favourite book. There are many people however who, because of illness, accident or simply the aging process, are unable to read clearly, or sometimes not at all. Their need for newspapers and magazines is as great as it is for the rest of us, maybe even greater.
To fulfill this need, the first United Kingdom Talking Newspapers for the Blind were set up in the early 1970's. Now, thirty years later, there are well over 500 Talking Newspaper groups operating in the UK.
Each Talking Newspaper operates in a relatively small area of the country providing local news on audio tape to visually impaired people in the surrounding area. The number of recipients for each Talking Newspaper varies, according to location and the quantity of other Talking Newspapers in the locality, from a few dozen to several hundred listeners.
Almost all Talking Newspapers are charities and were originally sponsored by one of the service organisations such as Lions International, Rotary or Round Table. Their day-to-day running costs are normally met by fund raising activities, donations or local authority grants.
Such is the situation with Wickford and District Talking Newspaper for the Blind. Click on Who Are We? To read more about our organisation, listeners and the dedicated people who run the charity.
Help us raise funds…
….use our online shop at
www.buy.at/wickfordtn
All your online purchases will generate income for us
Lets work together
Wickford and District Talking Newspaper
Comet Travelselect Virgin Mobile Marks and Spencer Blackwell's The Kids Window
CDwow Co-op Oddbins
If you ever buy anything online, be it CDs, books, hotels, flights or whatever, please consider making your next purchase via the Wickford & District Talking Newspaper for the Blind's Web Store. You will find it at http://www.buy.at/wickfordtn and every time a purchase is made from the site, the commission is added to our charity's funds. You can even buy or sell your house! - and you can see exactly how much commission is being paid to our charity.
Who Are We? / The News Tape / Insight / The Informant/ Special Projects / Volunteers & Donations / Contacts
Jack Windsor / Useful Links / Charity Shop / Guiding Blind & Partially Sighted People / Onsight Shopping