Closure fears over Rotherham Talking Newspaper

Rotherham Talking Newspaper claims it has been overlooked by the council over the last ten years and has now called on politicians for support.

Co-ordinator Roy Beachill (68) said he had been disheartened to read the council had recently awarded Rotherham Sight and Sound £140,000 — when the newspaper was struggling to stay afloat.

Mr Beachill said: “We might have to close down the charity due to the lack of funding.”

The upset co-ordinator has written to all Rotherham councillors and MPs “asking why we don’t get enough support from the council for a service that has been in existence since 1982 for vulnerable people”.

He added: “From the Talking Newspaper’s inception to 2008, RMBC did award us a grant of £14,000, however this was stopped without warning or explanation in 2008.

“Since then, we have been self-funding trying to raise £25,000 per year to keep our valuable and bespoke service running.”

The small charity, based at Rosehill Park Hall in Rawmarsh, produces weekly tapes of articles from the Advertiser plus features like fiction, recipes and quizzes.

Most of the tapes are now posted in MP3 form on USB sticks.

The recordings have been described as a “lifeline” among the 350 subscribers, most of whom are over 60.

Mr Beachill said: “Some of these people don’t have any friends or relatives, so when this pouch arrives through their door, it lets them know what’s going on in their town and lets them know that somebody is there and cares about them.”

He said he had felt very let down to read about Sight and Sound’s funding and believed the Talking Newspaper had been ignored.

“RMBC seems to constantly overlook our charity,” said Mr Beachill. 

“This was even the case when it set up Sight and Sound. 

“We were not initially included in any of the discussions about the service, yet we now get referrals from Rotherham Sight and Sound and Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind for our services — but no funding.”

Rotherham Sight and Sound’s future is also uncertain after the council pulled its funding after two years as it tries to save £30 million from its budget.

“We have every sympathy with Sight and Sound and have no qualms with them as an organisation,” said Mr Beachill.

He said it was getting harder to obtain grants as many providers only wanted to fund projects.

“We’ve been struggling for a couple of years now,” he said. “We believe we can get through to the end of this year one way or another — but things are not looking good.”

The charity’s costs cover two part-time salaries and there are currently 20 volunteers.

“We are constantly trying to reach the visually impaired people in Rotherham — we know there are probably over 4,000,” he said.

“It’s very difficult to get through to these people.”

MPs John Healey and Sir Kevin Barron have written to RMBC to urge them to meet with the newspaper and look into possible funding streams.

Mr Healey said it would be a “travesty” to see it close and Mr Barron said it had helped “countless people”.

But RMBC’s strategic director for adult care, housing and public health, Anne Marie Lubanski, said the council was not currently in a position to offer any direct financial support due to budget cuts.