Visually impaired benefit from service of Caithness Talking Newspapers

By Catherine McLennan of Caithness Talking Newspapers

These days there are several ways that local newspapers can be accessed and people with impaired vision also have a personal option to enjoy the news from Caithness and beyond.

Caithness Talking Newspapers (CTN) is a free service which brings brings local news to listeners in Caithness, Sutherland and even those who have left the area.

Each week the Caithness Courier and John O'Groat Journal news articles are recorded onto cassette tape which is then duplicated and sent postage-free to over 30 visually impaired recipients.

The volunteer team behind the enterprise consists of 14 readers, four duplicators and the staff of Hearing and Sight Care in Wick and Thurso who liaise with the CTN co-ordinator to maintain a list of tape recipients.

CTN has been going strong for nearly 40 years and was initiated by Jessan Mackay of Castletown. It is a completely free service to the recipients of the tapes and if necessary, CTN can provide a tape player to those who need one.

A member of the Hearing and Sight Care staff will arrange delivery of the player which will be marked up with high visibility tape to enable operation.

CTN has no regular income and relies solely on dedicated volunteer support, donations and bequests. The volunteers enjoy providing such a service and letters of thanks received by the group are testament to the appreciation of their work.

If you or someone you know struggles to read the Caithness Courier or John O'Groat Journal due to visual impairment, please contact the Sensory Centre in Wick on 01955 606170 or Thurso on 01847 895636 to be added to the list of recipients of a recorded version of these newspapers.

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