The Enfield Talking Newspaper needs you!
The Enfield Talking Newspaper (ETN) is a local charity powered entirely by volunteers, that provides the blind and visually impaired residents of Enfield with a free weekly recording of articles from local newspapers and publications.
Incredibly, we are the oldest talking newspaper in the country, starting in 1961 with just six listeners. Today, we have grown to reach hundreds of people who either receive a recorded memory stick or hear the audio recordings via the internet each week.
Recording the latest news items is only possible with the kind permission of our local newspapers and publications, with the aim of providing our listeners with an up to the moment audio recording. We aim to stay as relevant and current as possible!
To some the ETN is companionship, to others a much-needed source of information. Perhaps all who receive the recordings would agree that the ETN is a vital support network that breaks the barriers of isolation, by helping listeners to keep in touch with what’s going on in our community.
For the first time since we began in 1961, we have been on hiatus over the Covid period. But now, thanks to Enfield Council continuing to support our efforts, we will soon be returning to normal. If you know of anyone blind or partially sighted in our local community who you think would benefit from receiving a weekly copy of the ETN, then do get in touch. Also, if you would like to get involved either in front of the microphone or behind, then why not become a volunteer?
We meet every Thursday between 7pm-9pm at the Civic Centre to record, produce and package up the memory sticks for posting to our listeners. Everything is done by rota, so generally individual involvement is once a month for the recordists and readers, and on an ad hoc basis for helpers with the production and packaging process. We also keep a reserve list if you cannot commit so often, but are happy to help on an occasional basis. We read around the room, 3-4 readers each week, and the recordist makes sure that all the technical stuff is taken care of. We are a friendly bunch and, we are really looking forward to taking the ETN in to the post-Covid age, with a replenished and reinvigorated volunteer cohort.
Sadly, many of the talking newspapers in the boroughs around us have closed permanently and will not re-open again. Help to keep The Enfield Talking Newspaper bucking this trend and support us in whatever way you can.
Please contact us at [email protected] or visit our website http://www.etnlisten.com/
