Fifty years ago, in January 1970, an innovative charity was established in Ceredigion for blind people offering the first service of its kind in Wales and the United Kingdom, a service that would enable the blind people of Ceredigion to hear the latest news in the local press. That scheme was the Ceredigion talking newspaper.

The talking newspaper was set up by Ronald Sturt, a lecturer in the College of Librarianship Wales in Llanbadarn Fawr. Initially, the recordings of local voices reading articles from the local press were on tape cassettes and provided to 18 people. Nowadays, the recordings are on a USB and there are over 100 regular listeners of the talking newspaper, with more than 60 volunteers contributing regularly. The recordings are released weekly and include articles from the Cambrian News, Golwg and Y Cymro. One reader, Eileen Sinnet Jones, has volunteered continuously for 50 years. What a contribution by Eileen.

I’d like to congratulate the Ceredigion talking newspaper for  breaking new ground in 1970, for 50 years of service and for bringing the news in both Welsh and English to those who cannot see or read it in Ceredigion and beyond.