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What's new at Sandbach & District Talking Newspaper? Here we'll
keep you updated with what's been going on at our charity during the year.
SUPPORTING OUR BOYS IN AFGHANISTAN
On Saturday
27th February 2010 we received a visit from a group of families from 1st Batallion Welsh Guards who are based in Chester.
The Guards are currently serving in Afghanistan and we provided our facilities so that the families could record messages
to their loved ones serving abroad. We recorded 6 families and provided them with their message on a memory stick which can
then be sent out and kept by each soldier. While the families were waiting their turn they were looked after and entertained
by Pat Howells, Lyn Slack, Pam Johnson and Beverly Johnson who had also baked various goodies for the families. Graham Alcock
and Keith Johnson assisted with the logistical arrangements while Charles Baker made the recordings. Several members of the
Army welfare team were also present to support the families. Reporters from the Crewe and Congleton Chronicles photographed
some of the children and reported on the occasion. All in all it was a very pleasurable experience for everyone involved and
a great way for us to say thankyou to some of our troops serving abroad in such hard circumstances.
CHRISTMAS
DINNER 2009
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| Steve Sears and friend |
The Annual Christmas Dinner was held
on 4th December at Sandbach Masonic Hall and special guests included our President, Lady Ann Winterton, the Chairman
of Sandbach Town Council, Councillor Elsie Alcock, together with Consort, Graham Alcock (who is also our Chairman), The Mayor
of Middlewich Town Council, Councillor Pam Farrell and her Consort Kevin Farrell, and the Chairman of Alsager Town Council,
Councillor, Simon Roberson and his Consort, Mrs. C. Roberson.
Graham
Alcock welcomed all present and emphasized that our main aim was to locate more listeners, either those
with sight difficulties or anyone who for medical reasons cannot lift a newspaper or is a stroke sufferer etc.
Steve Sears , Creative Director of Limpet Marketing Ltd., has produced
some exciting new marketing material and he explained the thinking behind the “friendly dog with a newspaper”
logo which will appear on leaflets and posters and hopefully will attract attention.
Lady Winterton presented the following Long Service Awards:
15 Years:
Joy Andrew, Sandra Hannen,
Graham Hannen, Clare Kirk. Although not present, the following also qualified:Valerie Hitchinson, Roselle
Willis
20 Years:
Christine Lee,
Sheena Marshall
Although not present,
Angela Elliott also qualified for 20 years and Carole Eyre for 10 years. A special presentation
was given to Annette and Tony Morris who are retiring from the charity after 16 years of service.
A little light entertainment was provided by Members
and the Winners of the Prize Draw were as follows: | £150 | Rebecca Douglas | | £75 | Pam Farrell, Mayor of Middlewich | | Champagne, Glasses and Bottle Cooler | Jan Lancaster | | Christmas Hamper | Ian Hardman | | Cheese
and Wine Basket | Andrew Lee | | Bottle of Jack Daniels Whisky & 3 Glasses | J.E. Liggins | | Sloe Vodka | Mr. D. Banks | | 2
Bottle of Red Wine | J. Williams | | Mistletoe and Wine Basket | Rebecca Willis | | Croft Original Sherry | Tom Pearce | | Bottle of White Wine
and Bottle of Rose | Stuart Cooke | | Box of Thorntons Chocolates | Derek Smith | | Tin
of Roses Chocolates | Nick Younger | | Tin of Celebrations | Derek Smith | | Cuddly
Toy | Wilf
Beckett | | Crackers | Mrs. G. Jinks |
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY DONATION
Barbara and Gordon Farrall
who recently celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary decided that they didn’t want any presents, however, if people
wanted to, they could give a donation to Charity. The Sandbach and District Talking Newspaper were delighted to learn that
they were one of their chosen Charities and a cheque was received for £
This wonderful donation
was handed to the Chairman Graham Alcock, who in turn presented Barbara and Gordon with a bouquet of flowers. Chairman Graham commented “ What a lovely boost this is to our Charity and great help in ensuring the continuation of our free service to the blind and partially sighted in the
area”
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| Chairman Graham Alcock presents Barbara Farrell with a bouquet |
END OF AN ERA - START OF A NEW
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| Team 2 who made the final tape recording |
On Wednesday 28th January 2009 Sandbach & District Talking Newspaper
made its last recording on audio cassette. After just over 22 years of weekly Newsweek recordings, the time had come to move
on to a new digital recording system.
The team making the final recording were: John Owen, Irene Shaw, Pam and Keith Johnson, all Founder Members, with 22 years Service each, as well as Christine
Lee, 20 years Service,and Heather Gilmore, who has just joined the Charity and is a Relief Reader.
Talking Newspaper Secretary, Pam Johnson told us: "Keith and I were
at very first meeting for the formation of Sandbach T N at the Marriot Rooms, and the first recording was done in December
1986 at Congleton T N and we recorded the second in February 1987"
The new digital recordings started on 4th February and a new and exciting era began!
CHRISTMAS DINNER 2008
Once again our Annual Dinner
held at the Masonic Hall was well attended and our Digital Technician, Charles Baker, explained the nuances of our change
over to digital equipment and the use of Boomboxes and memory sticks.
A special presentation gift was
given by Chairman, Graham Alcock, to Guest of Honour, Brenda Wright, and retired Reader, Norah McGowan, for their outstanding
contribution to our charity over the years.
Other Awards were presented by
Lady Ann Winterton and the winning tickets in our Prize Raffle were drawn by The Mayor of Congleton Borough Council, Councillor
Colin Burgess.
Awards were presented to the
following:
10 year service award: Dorothea Hoskins
Norma Stolworthy
Ann Main
Marjorie Ball
15 year service award: Pauline Thornton
Annette Morris
Tony Morris
20 year service award: Godfrey Williams
Sandra Sutton
Roy Sutton
The Prizewinners in our Draw
were:
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£150 |
Betty Telfer |
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£75 |
Mrs. H. Shaw |
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Christmas Hamper |
Katie Jones |
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6 Bottles of Wine/Wine Rack |
Barry Williamson |
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Sports Bag |
Mr. Bowker |
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Cheese and Wine Basket |
Christine |
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Christmas Cake |
Ann Bradburn |
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Cafetiere |
Dave |
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Bottle of Whisky |
E. Bundy |
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Golf Voucher |
Mrs. D. Hobbs |
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Bottle of Wine |
Stephen Sutton |
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Oriental Spa Bath Set |
Stuart Wright |
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Hand and Foot Spa |
Mrs. Bailey |
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Tin of Chocolates |
Mrs. C. Heath |
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Christmas Table Decoration |
Mary Estcourt |
FLOWCRETE TO RUN FOR TALKING NEWSPAPER
Tony Longworth,
Director of Recycling & Waste Management at Flowcrete UK Ltd based in Sandbach, will be running the London Marathon in 2009. He will be running for 3 charities,
two of which are local to Flowcrete's head office here in Sandbach, including Sandbach & District Talking Newspaper. Tony
told us "this is not until April next year so I have plenty of time to pester as many people as possible to donate. However
if you have any ideas to help me raise more then please drop me a line, and I will see what I can do to raise awareness.
Will keep in touch as to progress & hopefully have a good sized cheque for you after the race." You can email Tony on
TonyL@flowcrete.com
CHESHIRE QUIZ PRIZEWINNER - £15 M&S token
The Winner of the Cheshire Quiz is Margaret Kay of Sandbach. We
should like to thank everyone who took part and congratulate Margaret on her answers, all of which were correct! Please find the answers by clicking on the link below.
Cheshire Quiz Answers
MIDDLEWICH NORMAN INVASION
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| The Talking Fruit Machine |
Last
year it was a Roman invasion that rocked the town, but this time round it is the Norman’s looking to conquer Middlewich. An army of medieval soldiers descended on the town for the Norman Middlewich Festival on Saturday 13th
September and Sunday 14th September 2008.
The weather was absolutely beautiful for both days. We had a stall just
on the Saturday, inside a huge marquee, and it was so hot! We were kept very busy all day with our
Human Fruit Machine which was a great success.
The
event started on Saturday with a parade down Wheelock Street at 11am, which meandered through the town and on to Harbutt’s
Field in King Street for the opening ceremony at 11.30am. Guests from the French town of Venables
opened the ceremony and guest of honour was ‘Young Norman’ – Glastonbury Drive resident George Worthington,
whose iconic photograph dressed as a Norman became the logo for the event. Other attractions on the
day included a Continental market, a virtual dig, falconry displays, a battle re-enactment and a children’s combat event.
Photographs
by permission of Cliff Astles, EVENT Photography & Marketing, Cheshire.
SANDBACH ROUND TABLERS IN TANDEM WITH TALKING NEWSPAPER
A team of 21 Sandbach Round Tablers left Sandbach in the early hours of Thursday
the 3rd of July 2008 to cycle to Holyhead. From there they boarded the
ferry to Dublin and followed this by a ride to the North of Belfast.
There they took the ferry to Stranraer before
journeying South to Penrith. Then back to Sandbach arriving on Sunday
evening the 6th July. They covered 5 Countries and 520 Miles
in 4 Days. Not content with the ride, they also raised nearly £5,000
for the Sandbach Talking Newspaper.
TRANSPORT FESTIVAL AND QUIZ
We had a very successful stall at the recent Sandbach Transport
Festival where we were able to raise some vital funds for our charity. One of the novelties we offered was a Transport Quiz
which created a lot of interest.
We should like to thank everyone who participated in our 2008 Transport Quiz.
Your support was much appreciated. The Winners were:
1st Prize:
Belinda Kirk 2nd
Prize:
Ralph Browes
If you would like to know the answers,
please click on the link below.
Transport Festival Quiz
GENEROUS DONATION FROM "GOLDEN GIRLS"
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| Barbara Farrall Leader /Soloist from the Golden Girls, handing over the cheque to Graham Alcock |
On Tuesday last the 19th February 2008, the Sandbach and District Talking
Newspaper received a most generous donation of £200.00p from The Golden Girls. The
presentation took place at the Victoria Club in Holmes Chapel and the Talking Newspaper was allowed to record their Broadway
Hits Medley and Wartime Selection of tunes, which we will send out to our Listeners in the near future. Keith Johnson was the Technician for this recording, together with Malcolm Lowe – Technician,
Graham Alcock – Chairman and Pam Johnson – Secretary
The Golden Girls were formed about seven or
eight years ago by six mature ladies, all over a ‘certain age’, hence the name, Golden Girls, to entertain in
elderly person’s homes. As they became better known they were asked to
perform at pensioner’s groups and nursing homes.
Over the years they have been asked to entertain
for more and more different organisations, the Women’s Institute, Rotary Clubs and also Christmas parties.
Although they are six ‘Golden Girls’
they do in fact have a gentleman in the group. Derek, who sings some solos while the ‘girls’ change into the different
costumes which they have for the various selections in their repertoire. They
dress as pearly queens in their ‘London Wartime Selection’, Stars and Stripes for the ‘American
Selection’, Evening Dresses for the ‘Broadway Hits Medley’ and quite a few more. Derek has a beautiful voice, unfortunately he will be missing from the group for about six months, as he
has just undergone a serious operation. Our best wishes go to Derek Shenton for
quick recovery. However they do have another gentleman, named Jack who has very
recently joined them. Of course a very important member of the group is Heather,
the accompanist, who is always there for them to play the piano or keyboard.
Most times they are given donations for their
entertainment and it was decided that each member of their concert party would, in turn, nominate a local charity of their
choice to receive £200.00p. Fortunately the Sandbach and District Talking Newspaper
was chosen by Barbara Farrall and were given the £200.00p donation. Other recipients
previously includes the Pat Seed fund for a new scanner at the Christie Hospital, a fund to help a Multiple Scleroses group
maintain a decompression chamber, a voluntary group of helpers who run a club for people with learning difficulties, the Air
Cadets and now, the Sandbach Talking Newspaper for the blind. Let’s hope
that the ‘Golden Girls’ continue to flourish, so that they can do more to help local charities.
The picture shows : Barbara Farrall –
Leader /Soloist from the Golden Girls, handing over the cheque to Graham Alcock,
Chairman of the Sandbach and District Talking Newspaper, and the Golden Girls comprising of Heather Whyte - accompanist, Elaine
Salisbury – Soloist, Lillian Waller – Soloist, Dorothy Gribbin, Bronwyn Brookes, Shirley Sadler, and Jack Ward.
WBB MINERALS SPONSORS US AGAIN!
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| Talking Newspaper's Graham Alcock explains to WBB's Charles Baker how digital works |
We are very grateful to WBB Minerals for sponsoring us once again
this year (2008). A very generation donation by the company will help us continue to provide our weekly Newsweek service and
also to pursue our new venture. We have decided to "go digital" and are purchasing equipment to allow us to make recordings
on CD in addition to our traditional audio tapes. We hope to make recordings on a commercial basis in order to raise
badly needed funds to help us keep our charity running. If you are interested in this service, click here.
130 YEARS OF VOLUNTARY WORK
Ten members received their 10 year Long Service Awards and two members
received their 15 year Long Service Awards, making a total of 130 years' service to our Charity. The Sandbach & District
Talking Newspaper held its Annual Christmas Dinner on Friday 30th November 2007 at the Masonic Hall in Sandbach.
The evening was enjoyed by Lady Winterton, Honorary President of the Charity, together with
The Borough Mayor, Councillor Michael Parsons and his Lady Mayoress, Mrs Lesley Parsons.
The evening was also supported by many Editors, Readers, Relief Readers, Technicians, Friends
and especially our Listeners.
Our Chairman, Mr Graham Alcock, commenced the proceedings and Grace was given by Mr Derek Smith.
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| The Long Service Award Winners |
Lady Winterton then presented the 10 year awards to Ann Vernon,
David Leech, John Carter, Valerie Carter, Margery Hughes, Jean Paine and Christine Lowe. Unable to be present were Robin Goldney,
Avril Beale and Debbie Dilworth.
The two 15 year awards went to Lyn Slack and Pat Charlton.
TALKING NEWSPAPER "GOES DIGITAL"
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| Lady Winterton with TN's Graham Alcock and INE's David Whitworth |
Another milestone has been reached by the Sandbach & District
Talking Newspaper, which can now proudly boast to have "gone digital".
We are now able to make our recordings onto computer, then copy them either onto CD's or to
other media that can be downloaded directly from the Internet. The system has been introduced by Talking Newspaper's Chief
Technician Keith Johnson, together with recording engineers Malcolm Lowe and Charles Baker.
We have just signed a contract with the Institution of Nuclear Engineers to record for them
in digital form the "talking version" of their journal "Nuclear Future", a technical publication produced jointly by the INE
and the British Nuclear Energy Society.
The picture shows Lady Winterton, Dr D P D Whitworth (right), President
of the Institution of Nuclear Engineers and supervising officer for this contract, and Mr Graham Alcock, Chairman of the Sandbach
& District Talking Newspaper.
Graham said "Now that we are able to produce CD's and other digital media, we hope that this
service will prove to be of interest to other businesses throughout the area and in doing so make us a little more "commercial" thereby
allowing us to raise much needed funds for our charity. For example, companies who produce their own in-house magazine and
send them out to retired employees, might like to have them recorded onto CD for their visually impaired employees."
CHURCHES' HEAVENLY BOOST FOR TALKING NEWSPAPER
The Sandbach and District Talking Newspaper has received a heavenly
boost of £800 to its coffers.The money was raised by the town's Churches Together group,which held an open garden event over
the summer months.The group's Garden Trail was a successful event,which raised money not only for the Talking Newspaper but
also for the Leprosy Mission. Out of the four open days there were only two sunny afternoons but visitors were not deterred
and arrived en masse, raising over £1000.There were a total of 10 large and small gardens in the Sandbach area open to the
public over the two weekends with refreshments available at an extra charge. A spokesman for the Talking Newspaper said this
donation has come at a good time as we are at present, trying to expand our service by going Digital and will enable
us to use CD's as well as Cassette tapes. (With thanks to the Sandbach Chronicle)
A VERY GENEROUS DONATION!
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| Pictured left to right are : Lyn Slack. Rachael Willis. Fred Willis. Graham Alcock |
What a lovely
surprise the Sandbach and District Talking Newspaper had when Mr. Fred Willis, who recently celebrated his 70th
Birthday asked for donations to the Sandbach Talking Newspaper instead of birthday presents.
It was a
wonderful boost to our Charity when a cheque for £600 was presented by Fred to Chairman Graham Alcock, also present were Rachael
Willis, Lyn Slack, Vice Chair, and various other Talking Newspaper representatives,
at the Recording Studio. Chairman Graham presented Fred
with a bottle of Whisky.
Fred’s
wife Roselle
has been a Relief Reader since July 1994, and is still an active Relief Reader and their Grand-daughter Rachael is also a
regular Reader. Rachel first got involved when she was working towards her ‘Duke
of Edinburgh Award’ and having now gained her Award, has continued to read for the Charity.
We cannot
emphasize enough just how much these donations mean to us, as we are at present transferring to ‘Digital’. This
will in the future enable us to raise funds by allowing us to record onto CD’s.
We are hoping this should prove to be of interest to other businesses and make us a little more ‘commercial’. For example, Companies who produce their own Company Magazines and send them out to
their retired employees perhaps would like them putting onto a CD for their visually impaired retired employees.
A
Jewellery Party was held at the home of one of our members, Pat Howells, on Thursday evening, 10th May, to boost
our funds. A varied collection of attractive jewellery was on display and the
event was well attended. We made £100.
We should like to thank Pat for all her hard work and for making such delicious refreshments available.
TALKING NEWSPAPER - TOMBOLA - TRANSPORT FESTIVAL
Our
Tombola Stall at the Transport Festival on 22nd April proved successful and we made £140 including the sale of
our excellent quality pens. We should like to thank all those who provided prizes. The 2008 Transport Festival is going to be a 2-day event and we are proposing a bigger
and better presence next year!!
A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION FOR 20 YEARS’ SERVICE
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| Ken & Rosalind Gunary |
During the recording on Wednesday, 11th April,
Ken and Rosalind Gunary were presented with a Royal Doulton Glass Vase, upon their
retirement, by Chairman, Graham Alcock, for their long and dedicated service to our Charity.
They also received their 20 year Certificate last Christmas. Ken has been
the Technician and Rosalind a Reader on Team 3 for most of this time. Everyone
at the Talking Newspaper would like to offer their appreciation for all their efforts and wish them a long, happy and peaceful
retirement.
WBB MINERALS CONTINUES ITS SPONSORSHIP
Local quarrying company, WBB Minerals, has continued its support for
Sandbach & District Talking Newspapers with a £500 donation. The money will
extend WBB’s sponsorship of the charity for another year, creating much-needed funds for the Newspaper.
“Our service enables people to keep up to date with what is happening
in the local community,” explained Graham Alcock, Newspaper Chairman. “With
our outside recording equipment we can also cover local concerts and other events of interest.
But this all comes at a price which is why we are reliant on the kind support of organisations like WBB Minerals.”
Rob Sproston, WBB Minerals’ Communications Manager, commented: “We’re delighted to continue with our sponsorship for another 12 months. Sandbach & District Talking Newspaper provides an invaluable community service
and I hope that our donation will contribute to its ongoing success.”
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