A St Albans service which helps blind and partially sighted residents recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.
A special event was held on Friday, August 23, to honour the contribution the St Albans & District Talking Newspaper (SADTN) has made to the community.
Also in attendance was Victoria Collins, MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, and the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire Annie Brewster (pictured centre), as well as volunteers who have helped keep SADTN running for the past five decades.
SADTN was launched in 1974 by Ray and Meg Bousfield for their blind neighbour. The pair read the local newspaper aloud while recording it onto a cassette tape.
The service proved to have great value and the number of people requesting a recording quickly grew. Soon, the couple were taking cassette tapes to more than 200 local residents.
The popularity of the service also meant that they needed the support of additional volunteers; they now have a full team helping to produce, read and distribute the newspaper.
High Sheriff Annie Brewster said: “Happy 50th anniversary to SADTN, one of the first anywhere in the UK.
“Originally created for neighbours, it has now grown into a vital service for blind and partially sighted residents all across the district.
“Wonderful to meet so many listeners and volunteers at a splendid tea party, accompanied by amazing music and poetry.”
Today, volunteers at SADTN record an audio programme each week which is more than two hours long and is available for free through the post, online or the Talking Newspaper app. It includes an audio programme of news and features to ensure residents can stay up to date with the latest news from their local area. It also features book reviews and a preview of what’s coming up on national radio stations.
For more information, visit www.sadtn.org.uk
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