Mark Francois MP tried his hand at presenting recently during a visit to the Basildon, Billericay and Wickford talking newspaper for the Blind, who are based at the George Hurd Centre in Basildon. Mark recorded several pieces for the talking newspaper’s weekly magazine programme, which is sent out to over 120 visually impaired listeners each week, so that they can then play the information back in the comfort of their own homes.
The charity, which is one of a network of “talking newspapers” around the country, helps people ranging from those with impaired vision to the fully blind, to keep up with local news and events, even though they are unable to read a local newspaper. The volunteers who run the service record programmes on tapes and other media each week and then send them out via a special arrangement with Royal Mail. In this instance Mark read a piece relating to the recent award of the Elizabeth Cross to a number of widows and their families who have lost servicemen in post World War Two conflicts, ranging from the Malaya emergency to more recent losses in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Speaking about his trip to see the Talking Newspaper Mark said:
“Everyone in our community appreciates the importance of good local news reporting and this applies to those visually impaired members of the community as well. I was very pleased to see the work of the Talking Newspaper at close hand and I pay tribute to the volunteers who run it for the benefit of others. If anyone would like to help this very worthwhile charity, by giving their time or money or both, they should ring Sally Webb on 07766 671 695, who I am sure would be very pleased to hear from them.”