MAINTAINING a lifeline for those with little or no sight during these difficult times have been volunteers who read the Crediton Talking Newspaper.

For more than five years the Crediton Talking Newspaper, read from stories published in the “Crediton Courier”, has been published weekly and dispatched to listeners who are blind or partially sighted on the day of publication.

The Lions Club of Crediton and friends have undertaken this work up until the present crisis, only missing one week, which was due to the weather.

Each Thursday several readers and technicians would get together to make sure this happened.

Unfortunately most readers were in the category that needed to stay at home and that was exacerbated by the lockdown that subsequently followed.

Crediton Lions’ President Peter Bryan maintained the service during the first lockdown from March to July by recording the Crediton Talking Newspaper in a spare bedroom.

He was assisted by Lion Karen Todd, who received the pouches in which the 60 tapes were posted each week.

She also thoroughly sanitised these each week before each recording session.

This maintained the service for the visually impaired who often have no other window on the world.

Many listeners have commented that having the local talking News is like a friend dropping in.

During the more recent imposition of restrictions, for more than a month, Lion Eric Parkes read the Crediton Talking Newspaper in the Armstrong Room, where the reading normally takes place.

Due to the restrictions which meant that only one person was able to read in the Armstrong Room owing to social distancing, Mr Parkes had to complete the reading and recording on his own.

Lion Karen Todd fortunately continued with her sanitising of the pouches.

Mr Parkes explained: "We were anxious that our listeners would not receive their lifeline of the Crediton Talking Newspaper so we put in place a way of being able to do it.

"Recently we recognised one of our original listeners, Mrs Joy Stalman, who has just celebrated her 100th birthday."

Mr Parkes said that he was sorry that one issue could not be produced but said that this was due to the Beast of the East storm which hit the country.

He added: "The Lions Club of Crediton feel very honoured to have been entrusted in taking on this project and producing it for the partially sighted and blind in our community."

He thanked Royal Mail who collect the pouches for onward transmission to the listeners.

In addition to the recording of the “Crediton Courier”, Crediton Lions include a range of downloaded magazines from RNIB newsagents, as well as articles of interest to the partially sighted from Infosound and BBC In touch.

If there are any visually impaired readers anyone may know of or care for who could benefit from this service, locally or nationally, please telephone Lion Eric Parkes on 01363 82878. He would love to hear from anyone.