News readers have got our paper taped (From Stroud News and Journal)

News readers have got our paper taped

EVERY week a team of dedicated volunteers bring a bit of light into the lives of blind and visually impaired people across the Five Valleys and beyond. While other readers may be relaxing over a cup of tea with the News & Journal on a Wednesday evening, members of Five Valley Sounds are busy putting the paper on tape and getting it out to those who want to know the local news but cannot read the paper themselves. Sam Bond talks to chairman Brian Thacker about his 20 years producing Stroud's talking paper.

BACK in the early 80s the Round Table was looking to set up a community-serving project and Five Valley sound was born.

"Somebody suggested a talking paper and we thought that would be ideal," said Brian Thacker, who has been chairman of the dedicated voluntary group since the day it was launched in April, 1982.

"We raised the money to buy some basic equipment and started making monthly tapes."

Over the years the equipment has been upgraded and more regular taped papers have been produced by the group so now those on their list can look forward to receiving their 90 minute news bulletin every Friday morning.

The current duplicating equipment can churn out a staggering eleven tapes every four minutes.

"We pride oursleves that we can get our talking newspaper to people by Friday morning," said Mr Thacker.

"It's fresh news - it's important to get it out to our listeners as quickly as we can.

"They don't want to hear news that they've already heard on the radio or somebody else has told them."

In the early days Marling teacher Mike Vernon used to collar his sixth formers and get them to read the news.

"We had the recording equipment but nothing to duplicate the tapes so we had to get the tapes copied in Cheltenham," said Mr Thacker.

"In those days the blind people had their own talking book system and we used their tapes."

But only 40 visually impaired people had the equipment and Five Valleys Sounds was painfully aware that there were many others out there who would like to get their own copy of the talking paper.

As technology progressed standard audio cassettes and recording equipment became more accessible and this proved to be a godsend for the group, which could send out tapes to everyone and even provide tape players for those who needed them.

But by then there was another potential fly in the ointment - the rise of the local radio stations.

"We were really worried that people wouldn't want the talking paper any more but it didn't happen like that," said Mr Thacker.

"The only time we lose readers is when they pass away." "We've now got about 150 people on our books - not all of them are visually impaired and we supply tapes to disabled people who can't hold the paper to read it as well," said Mr Thacker.

The talking paper is posted all over the county to many people who left Stroud but whose hearts remain in the Five Valleys.

"We had one chap who'd moved to the Rhondda Valley in Wales who continued with the talking paer for many years," said Mr Thacker.

"We've got back-up equipment now in case a piece of machinery breaks down - otherwise I get 100 phone calls over the weekend from people wanting to know where their talking newspaper is," said Mr Thacker.

"They really miss it if it doesn't turn up.

"It let's them know what's happening in the town and it gives them something to look forward to each week.

"They can talk to other people about the things that are going on." "We do try to tell them everything we can that's in the Stroud News," he said.

"Even if it's something like an art exhibition that visually impaired people are unlikely to go and have a look around. "At the end of the day they like to know what's going on."

And it is not just a one way street - the volunteers benefit too. "I think they get the pleasure of helping people less fortunate than themselves," said Mr Thacker.

"We've got a very good group of people who come to read - a lot of them are teachers or involved in amateur dramatics.

"They need to have a good voice. "We shall never sound like the BBC but it's got to be read in a nice clear voice that's not too rushed."

There are some obvious obstacles to translating print journalism to audio but Mr Thacker said these could be overcome.

The difference between the spoken and written word can be bypassed by re-jigging the structure of sentences - but what about stories which are based around pictures?

"If necessary we describe the picture," said Mr Thacker. Although a lot of work goes into producing the talking paper there is still plenty of room for fun.

"One time we'd just started recording when the water board started digging a hole in the road outside," laughed Mr Thacker.

"This was at about 7.30pm - we couldn't believe it, we had to pick up all our equipment and take it to my house to finish recording the tape."

And sometimes it is the stories themselves that make the job of putting them on tape tricky.

"There was this one story years ago that Mike Vernon was reading about pink frogs raining on Gloucestershire," said Mr Thacker. "He could not read it - he just kept laughing and laughing and in the end we had to give it to one of the girls who was there who read it first time without a hitch."

Now based in a studio in Amberley, Five Valleys Sounds has been forced to move around a bit over the years.

"We've had problems in the past when it's been a struggle to keep things going but we've managed to overcome these," said Mr Thacker.

"We've lost our studio twice."

The talking paper began life in the Black Boy school in Castle Street before the building was sold off.

"We moved to Erinoids Working Man's Club but the receivers came in and shut the club down and we had to go down there and rescue our equipment from them.

"We had to run the paper from people's houses until we got the studio up in Amberley." It is not just the location and technology that has changed over the years.

"I think the news has changed a lot as well," said Mr Thacker. "There are a lot of crime stories now and it is very difficult to find things that are light-hearted or funny in newspapers.

"I don't know whether that's just because the world has changed or whether reporting has changed too.

"It's nice to have things about people's achievements and things that have been done well." In other countries local government goes out of its way to ensure anyone who wants them can get hold of talking paper tapes but here they tend to be run as charities.

"The Stroud & Swindon helps us with running costs," said Mr Thacker. "We do fund-raisers as well, but the running costs are not too bad.

"And we don't get charged for the postage." Despite the hard work the job of putting the paper onto tape does have some perks. "When I come away from the studio in the evening I know everything that's in the paper," said Mr Thacker.

"So I don't have to go out to buy one."

Anyone who would like to find out more about Stroud's talking newspaper can contact Brian Thacker on 07785 982511.

SB