1  Who are your programmes designed for?

Anyone who, for whatever reason, is unable to keep in touch with what is going on in their local community by reading the local newspapers (Herts Advertiser and St Albans Times), magazines and other publications. Most of our listeners are visually impaired, but our service is also available to others who have difficulty reading – whether in the short, medium or long term.

2  Which areas do you cover?

St Albans, Harpenden, London Colney, Park Street, Sandridge, Redbourn, Wheathampstead, Colney Heath, Chiswell Green,  Kimpton, Flamstead, Markyate, and all other villages nearby.  We also have listeners in Radlett, Luton and beyond.

3  What do I receive each week?

Each week (usually on Saturday) your postman will deliver a wallet or pouch to your home. Inside there will be a USB memory stick containing that week’s programme. (See Questions 5 and 6 for other ways to listen.)

4  How do I listen to these memory sticks?

We can provide you – entirely free-of-charge – with a purpose-built and simple to use play-back unit. When you think you might become a listener, we will arrange to visit and explain how it works.

5  Can I listen to the programmes on my laptop or PC?

Yes. All you need is a USB slot into which the memory sticks can be inserted.

6  Can I listen to the programmes ‘on line’?

Yes. You – or a friend or family member – can download or listen to each weekly programme from our website.

7  Can I receive these programmes if I am not registered blind?

Yes. If you are visual impaired for any reason, we can arrange for you to receive our programmes.  If you do not qualify for Royal Mail’s free service ‘Articles for the Blind’, we will discuss other options with you.

8  When do I need to send the memory sticks back to you?

In order for us to keep sending you the programmes for the following weeks, we ask you to post each of them back to us within 14 days or as soon as you have listened to it. (If you want to keep one for longer than that, you can just let us know.) The wallet or pouch carries a two-sided address label, so all you have to do is turn the address label round, put the USB memory stick into the wallet, zip the wallet up completely and arrange for it to be placed into a postbox.  There is no need to take it to a post office: in fact, your nearest postbox is best.

9  Who pays for this service?

We are a registered charity (a CIO), and we depend on our current funds, gifts, donations, bequests, and sponsorship to raise the cash to cover our activities, including the purchase of playback units, memory sticks, wallets and other items, and the maintenance of our sound studio in St Albans. We are all volunteers and have no paid staff.  Postage is provided free-of-charge under the Royal Mail’s “Articles for the Blind” service.

10  Can I receive the Talking Newspaper on a trial basis?

Yes, you can. But we think that, once you have heard our programmes for a month or so, you won’t want to stop. (At least that is what our many listeners tell us!)

11  How do I become a Listener?

All you need to do is contact us. The contact details are on each page of this website.

12  How do I become a Volunteer?

Once again, just contact us.