Volunteer
Following the pandemic a home recording model has been developed and has proved very successful and so it is now the way each edition of the Bookham & District Talking Newspaper is produced.
The teams work on a rota basis and and each edition is produced by two editors and three reader/recorders. We produce an edition every other week.
Editor Role
On Thursday morning each of the duty Editors buys a copy of the Leatherhead and Surrey Advertisers along with any other local publications and select suitable articles for the weeks’ edition. The Editors then meet discuss and agree on the selection and sequence. Once decided the newspapers are cut up in to individual articles and then delivered to the Compiler.
Compiler Role
The Compiler then scans each article to create a PDF and the PDF is uploaded to a web based online file sharing service (Dropbox) ready for the Reader/Recorders to download.
Recorder/Recorder Role
Once the Reader/Recorders are advised that the PDFs are available, they access the Dropbox file sharing service to view and download the articles they have been asked to record. The files are available from mid-afternoon on Thursday.
Using their own PC/laptop and microphone and recording software (Audacity which is a free application) each item is recorded in their own time in their own home. Once complete the recording is saved back onto Dropbox.
Files need to be loaded back on to Dropbox by 10.00 am on Friday. With this method there is plenty of time to record the articles.
On a typical week reader/recorders will have six to eight articles to record and will take about 20-25 minutes to complete.
Once all the recordings have been uploaded to Dropbox the Compiler produces a master of all the articles which is then copied on to USB memory sticks and sent to listeners using the Freepost “Articles for the Blind” service.
If you’re interested in being an Editor or Reader/Recorder please complete the form below and the Secretary will get back to you. Full training will be given.
We also need a person to help increase awareness of the service to the local blind and partially sighted community. If this would be of interest, please get in touch
