Rochdale Online available on audio recordings in the New Year

Talking newspaper with special guest the Mayor and Mayoress of Rochdale, Ian and Christine Duckworth

Rochdale Online will join Rochdale’s Talking Newspapers Federation in the new year, and the news will also be published on audio recordings.

The Talking Newspapers Federation began 30 years ago and provides a free service of audio recordings of local news for blind and partially sighted people.

To date, there are over 500 groups across the UK and more than 100,000 listeners; within Rochdale there are currently 70 listeners each week.

People who use the service can listen in many ways, for example, on cassette tapes, CDs, USB, and through the internet radio – Sonata.

Within the Borough, those who listen are provided the local news weekly on a USB memory stick.

These are provided by six volunteer groups who record in rotation each week at the Blind Centre on Highbarn Close, Sudden.

Most of the listeners are from Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton and benefit from the recordings as they have sight impairments or learning difficulties and therefore have reading problems.

Some of the listeners are also people who have moved away but still want to know of local news.

Ailleen Beesley, a volunteer for Rochdale’s Talking Newspapers for eight years, said: “I decided to volunteer when I retired as I was looking for something interesting to do.

“Most of the listeners are elderly and not computer literate so it will make it more interesting if we produce an audio version of Rochdale Online.”

If you want to receive a recording of the local news in future, contact the Rochdale Talking Newspapers office on 01706 646 501, leaving your name and phone number so one of the community members can get back to you.