News and Views
Lothiansound Annual General Meeting, 2011
Lothiansound hosts EyeT4All day
Lothiansound Annual General Meeting 2011
On a dry, bright day in April, Lothiansounders met in the pleasant surroundings of Duddingston Kirk Hall, Edinburgh. Volunteers and Listeners mingled and chatted and enjoyed a tasty finger buffet (see photo page).
Another successful year at Lothiansound was attributed to the reliability and loyalty of over sixty Volunteers who were entirely responsible for all activities.
Financially, given the economic climate, 2010 was a surprisingly good year. That was due to the generosity of our donors and the hard work of the volunteers who earn income from transcription work. We owe a very big “thank-you” to all of them.
At the end of 2010, we had 555 Listeners on our circulation list, 241 opting to receive CDs and 314 still preferring tapes. Unlike many Talking Newspapers throughout the country who are experiencing a drop in Listener numbers, our numbers have remained stable over the last three years. We are grateful to our loyal Listeners for their support and look forward to providing a listener-led service in years to come.
Lothiansound Social Afternoon took place in Duddingston Kirk Hall at the end of November. Although there was snow on the ground, this was thankfully before the significant falls occurred.
On arrival, everyone received a glass of wine or juice. Volunteers and Listeners enjoyed catching up with one another and also making some new friends. Tollhouse Catering prepared a delicious buffet. Evelyn and her team of ladies in the kitchen served this along with teas and coffees. Thank you all for your hard work.
After lunch, Sandra Sabiston from Royal Blind (www.royalblind.org) delivered an entertaining and informative talk. It was particularly interesting to hear about Braeside House since a number of our Listeners are resident there.
Lothiansound hosts EyeT4All day
The EyeT4All project is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and the British Computer Association of the Blind (BCAB). The aim of the project is to introduce Information Technology to blind and partially sighted people in a relaxed and understandable way.
Using email, shopping on line, writing a letter to a relative are all every day tasks which can greatly enhance the quality of life and independence of a visually impaired person.
BCAB (www.bcab.org.uk) provided all the computer equipment, connection to the internet and a trainer. All Lothiansound had to organise was the people, the venue and lunch.
Nine Lothiansound Listeners attended and eleven more are already on a list, hoping that another training day might be arranged. Thanks to a generous donation from the Bruntsfield Hotel, Edinburgh, the event was held in a comfortable room and a sandwich lunch was enjoyed by all present.
The Evening News included
a short article about the event which was read by Evelyn's team. Anne and Margaret,
both Listeners and Committee members, found the experience helpful and have
encouraged the Committee to organise further events.
Many thanks to all the Volunteers who helped make the EyeT4All day a great success.
If you are a member of a club/association, please consider hosting a talk about Talking Newspapers.
For further information, please e-mail: info@lothiansound.org.uk