York Talking News Celebrates its 50th Anniversary

Our friends, and supporters, York Talking News, are celebrating their 50th Anniversary and continue to bring local news to those living with a visual impairment, or who struggle to access the news in a paper format. They let us know just how it all began and how they are moving forward after this great celebration…

In the autumn of 1975, the City Council advertised for interested people to meet to discuss the possibility of producing an audio news magazine for the blind and partially sighted. Over the next few months, funding was organised through donations from the public, Rotary and the Lions, many of whom also volunteered to read and organise the production and distribution of the publication, and the Council which put up £1000. A charity was set up, the Post Office offered free of charge posting facilities as long as we only used music that had been commissioned for the publication and that any material had to be already in the public domain. In March and April of 1976 two dummy audio cassette tapes were produced. By September, the team were ready, and York Talking News began life in 1976 as York and District News for the Blind. Don Peacock from the Blind and Partially Sighted society, was the first chairman, Harry Holmes was Editor, Peter Jackson, Producer and Technician and the readers on the first edition which went out at the beginning of October 1976 were Joanna Browne, Nigel Emery and Graeme Robertson.

The first recording took place in ‘The Shack’, an out building in the garden of one of the team, it was almost ideal, having tea and coffee making facilities and a WC.

The material was collected from The Press, or Evening Press as it was in those days, the Yorkshire Post and a little later the Dalesman joined the livery. Our jingles, written especially for us, have been in constant use from the first edition and are our audio logo.

Listeners came to us, mostly through The Blind and Partially Sighted Society and word of mouth. By the 12th edition 80 copies were regularly being sent out and by the 375th edition we had a solid circulation of 250 listeners.

Our team of readers are regulars and our listeners get to know their voices. The most well-known voice of all is Graeme’s. He read on our very first edition and on almost all of them since, that’s 50 years of service and perhaps 575 editions – we do let him have a holiday once in a while! He also volunteers as a Minster Guide and is delighted when any of our listeners recognise his dulcet tones and speak to him. After 50 years, of introductions, messages and the last word on each edition, together with reading each month, Graeme has decided that it’s time he stepped back and will retire from the York Talking News on our 600th edition. We shall miss him and our regular listeners will too.

The format of the news magazine was originally 50% news items and 50% magazine articles usually with a local or amusing theme. This format has served very well at keeping our listeners informed of local news. Initially the publication was constrained by the length of the cassette tapes, 45 minutes on either side. Duplication took up to 2 days as each tape had to be magnetically cleaned before re-recording and just 8 could be done at the same time taking 4 ¼ minutes for each group. The move to USB sticks made for faster duplication, 23 sticks at a time and completed in a couple of minutes.

COVID brought about more change and the team were proud to be able to send out each edition on time. It was not possible to meet to record but we managed for quite a few months, by having our readers read their articles over the telephone and our technician record from home. Our editor scanned the articles and emailed them to the readers a day prior to the recording. This proved to be very successful.

We have had a few different recording studios during our 50 years beginning in the Shack, moving to an office in Clifford Street, on to facilities in the original Wilberforce Trust buildings on Tadcaster Road, in Westminster Business Park in Poppleton and in Huntington. Today we are recording in the community room at Tesco, Askham Bar. We have been very grateful for the use of all of these premises and have worked with the various noise distractions, from the neighbours’ lawn mowers in the Shack, the jingle from the sandwich delivery van in Poppleton, to the alarms and tannoy announcements in Tesco.

We shall be moving to a sound studio at York University, where the sound production is unfettered by extraneous noises. The format will continue to include local news and magazine articles but will also include What’s On in and around York. In this digital age, we are now available via our website, hosted by the Talking News Federation, to which we have been affiliated for many years, and via your smart speaker.

York Talking News is an audio news magazine for anyone who is unable to process print unaided, whether by sight loss, the inability to hold a newspaper or book, or for any other reason.

If you would like to find out more about how York Talking News might be suitable for you, please do call Sue, she too is a regular reader, on 01904 652650, or simply try listening via our website: https://yorktalkingnews.mytn.uk

Here at the Trust we would like to say a big thank you to Graeme, and York Talking News, for recording our quarterly newsletter magazine, InSight.

Club Wilber’s 7th Birthday Party
Last week we celebrated Club Wilber’s 7th Birthday at New Earswick Folk Hall, with a space themed party.
Our annual birthday party is the perfect excuse to get our Club Wilber families together to catch up, and enjoy activities and party food. This year we had a space theme, and were excited to welcome University of York’s Tactile Universe, with some of their activities. The children loved the dark pop up tent with the VR headsets and creating their own solar systems with Playdoh. We were also treated to video call from Dr Dr Nicolas Bonne, a visually impaired astronomer from the University of Portsmouth, who started the Tactile Universe initiative.
A young boy stands in front of an inflatable sun crafting at a table.
Crafting and getting messy with things to can take home is always popular, so we had a table to make and decorate a wooden rocket, and a home-made bubble bath table too. Alex from Face Paint York also joined us again, providing the young people (and a lot of the adults!) with beautifully painted faces and arms.
A teenage girl gets her face painted around her forehead.
The Folk Hall put on a yummy party buffet for lunch and afterwards we sang Happy Birthday. Everyone took home a slice of the delicious traybake, along with a with a space themed party bag!
This birthday party was extra special, as it was Activities Coordinator, Megan’s, last one. And she really pulled out all the stops for this party, ensuring it was one to remember. A huge thank you to Megan for another fantastic party, and to the Folk Hall, for always welcoming us and helping us provide an accessible space to celebrate in.
tWO ADULTS STAND AT A TABLE WHERE PEOPLE ARE FRAFTING AT A PARTY. tHEY ARE BOTH WEARING SPACE THEMED COSTUMES.
Club Wilber started in 2019, as a way of creating a club for children and young people with a visual impairment, and their families. We arrange accessible activities and events that the whole family can enjoy, regardless of vision or disability, and its a welcoming place for children and parents to bond over common experiences.
World Cup 2026- Holly Tuke interview

As the World Cup kicked off, we sat down with one of our Ambassadors, and football super fan, Holly Tuke, to find out what she was looking forward to and her thoughts on accessibility when watching the matches.

Holly is an award winning freelance writer, disability blogger and Social Media Manager for RNIB, for which she has also won an award. Yorkshire lass Holly is also a huge women’s football fan, and like a lot of us is invested in the current Men’s World Cup. Holly is registered blind and as well as attending football matches, loves going to concerts and travelling.

Hi Holly, thank you for chatting to us about the World Cup, how are you enjoying it?

I’m really enjoying the World Cup! It’s been great to tune into the games when I can so far, despite the time zone logistics. Women’s football is in my heart, but the men’s World Cup is brilliant. I’m in my element with so much football. I’ve also loved seeing all the joy surrounding it online, and it feels like people have really come together.

Fifa have brought in more accessibility features for watching the matches, and for viewers at home the BBC and ITV both have their own. What accessibility features, if any, have you found most useful for you while engaging with the tournament?

I’ve used ITV’s audio description for England and Scotland matches, and BBC’s alternative audio commentary.  They’re both fantastic, so credit to each of the broadcasters. I first experienced ITV’s audio description during the 2025 Women’s Euros, and I was genuinely blown away. It’s amazing to see it again on an even bigger stage. For matches on the BBC, I’ve enjoyed their alternative audio commentary, where the pictures sync up with the radio commentary provided by 5 Live. This has given such a good viewing option when watching with family, meaning we can all benefit. That’s what inclusion is all about.

What difference does Audio Description make for you?

When I have AD for football, I’m one happy person. I absolutely love it. AD makes such a huge difference to my viewing experience. It gives me the detail I wouldn’t get otherwise, like body language, facial expressions, colours of the kits, and exact positioning of the ball. I only wish we had AD throughout the football season, so I’m definitely making the most of it.

With lots of chants sung about players, and with what commentators might say, do you think a picture you build up matches up with their appearance?

This is such an interesting one. I have no useful vision, so I don’t know what players look like for myself. I can however, build a picture in my head, from what the commentators describe, and what friends and family tell me. I always appreciate those descriptions – it’s all part of the experience.

Who’s your prediction to win?!

I think the coins may have flipped recently, with some previously predicted high-ranking teams exiting the tournament.

Of course, my heart says England. Wouldn’t that be amazing! My prediction is France though. They’ve put on such strong performances, there’s no stopping them.

Finally, what is it you love about football?

I love supporting my team, and my country. Football brings people together who have a shared interest, and I think that’s wonderful. It’s the excitement, the anticipation, and the celebrations (with some added stress thrown into the mix!) There’s nothing quite like it.

As a true women’s football fan, I’m pretty much counting down to the 2027 Women’s World Cup at this point. I’m even more excited now! But back to the current task at hand… Come on England!

Holly stood in the stands at Wembley Stadium. She wears glasses, and a dark blue coat which is undone to show a white England shirt. She’s holding her audio descriptive commentary receiver in one hand, and her long cane in the other. Fans can be seen sat in red stadium seats in the background.

(Image description: Holly stood in the stands at Wembley Stadium. She wears glasses, and a dark blue coat which is undone to show a white England shirt. She’s holding her audio descriptive commentary receiver in one hand, and her long cane in the other. Fans can be seen sat in red stadium seats in the background.)

 

Holly’s blog can be found here-

Life of a Blind Girl –

InSight Magazine- Spring 2026

Our latest edition of InSight is out now.

This edition includes:

You can read the latest issue of InSight here or by clicking the image below-

Front page of Spring InSight.

You can listen to InSight here-

Letter from the CEO-

Welcome Emily and Chidinma-

Welcome to our new Trustees-

Club Wilber Easter Egg Hunt-

Weston’s Cafe-

International Women’s Day-

Charity Cook-off and Thank Yous-

InSight Magazine- Winter 2025

Our latest edition of InSight is out now.

This edition includes:

You can read the latest issue of InSight here or by clicking the image below-

The front cover of InSight's winter edition.

You can listen to InSight here-

Introduction

Letter from the CEO

Christmas at Wilberforce Trust

Club Wilber

Values, Christmas fundraising and thank yous

Annual Report 2024-2025

We are proud to present our new style Annual Report to the year ending 31st March 2025.

There’s lots of extra information in the report that truly showcases who we are and how we work. We hope you enjoy it!

You can read the Annual Report here.

The Christmas Raffle is back!
Our popular raffle, in aid of our children’s group Club Wilber, is back, with an amazing list of prizes to be won.
Top of the list is a fantastic Sharp 43-inch Ultra HD Smart LED TV, York City tickets, Askham Bryan Wildlife Park tickets, a variety of hampers, family swim passes, and much much more!
Tickets are £2 each and available to buy from Wilberforce House reception or by emailing a.parkinson@wilberforcetrust.org.uk
Club Wilber is our group for children and young people, 0-25, with a visual impairment. Its for children across Yorkshire and is inclusive for families too, so no one needs to be left out. Proceeds raised from this raffle will help us put on more fun activities for our families in 2026.
A poster for a christmas raffle with a list of prizes.
InSight Magazine- Autumn 2025

Our latest edition of InSight is out now.

This edition includes:

You can read the latest issue of InSight here or by clicking the image below-

The front cover of autumn InSight magazine

You can listen to InSight here-

Letter from the CEO

Connecting with the sector- YorSensory

Judi Dench

Club Wilber’s summer adventures

Club Wilber turns 6

Tenant’s Bridlington trip

Tinnitus Support Group

YOPA Fair

Visionary Award nomination

Stronger Starts fundraiser

Vote for Club Wilber with Tesco blue tokens!
Our Tesco Stronger Starts blue token appeal is now LIVE!!
Every time you shop at one of the participating Tesco stores you can collect a blue token which you can use to cast a vote. There will be well- signed boxes to the store entrance/ exit where you will see our name! The participating Tesco stores in our area are Tesco Extra Askham Bar, Acomb Wood Tesco Express, York Piccadilly Tesco Express and York Ouse Bridge Tesco Express.
The Stronger Starts scheme is a fundraiser for charities, groups and organisations to collect votes via blue tokens to be in with a chance of a grant for up to £1500. The causes are usually related to young people and we will be collecting tokens for our children’s group, Club Wilber.
Please share with family and friends as we would love to raise as much money as we can for Club Wilber!
Visionary Award shortlist!
We are proud to announce that we have been shortlisted for the Visionary Award for Customer Excellence for the work our Activities and Events Coordinator, Megan, does for our Club Wilber group.
 
Examples given of Megan’s hard work and dedication to Club Wilber include the trip to Magna and Yorkshire Sculpture Park where a massive amount of organisation and communication with both venues was undertaking, with the trips taking months to plan. Both trips included far more than a standard visit would have done, with dedicated staff on hand and extra steps taken to provide inclusive and accessible days out.
 
The awards are being given on Wednesday 24th September and we have our fingers crossed for a well deserved win.