Newspapers, phones and tablets are not the only way to keep up with current affairs. MATT CLARK goes behind the scenes at an unusual audio media outlet.

FOR more than 40 years York Talking News has been reporting the months goings on to people in the city who are blind or partially sighted. But it's not just for people who have poor eyesight. Anyone who has difficulty reading, from arthritis sufferers, who find it hard to hold a paper, to stroke victims, who can't process words quickly, can sign up for this free service.

Based at the Wilberforce Centre in Huntington, the audio newspaper serves 250 people a month, although reader Sue Skirrow says the group would love more residents to have the monthly USB stick drop through their letterbox. There's even a boom box available, supplied free of charge and on loan, to play them through.

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Sue Skirrow inspects a boom box. Picture: Matt Clark.

Everyone involved in producing the recording is a volunteer. Sue says their only pay is a cup of coffee and a chocolate biscuit.

"I was teaching at York sixth form college," she says. "The deputy principal's mother received the newspaper and she heard they were looking for more female readers. Her comment was 'surely someone from the English department should be able to read'."

It's a good point. As fellow news reader Graham Robertson says, there's nothing more off putting than a stilted or mumbled delivery.

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News reader Graham Robertson. Picture: Matt Clark.

"Reading out loud is something most people don't normally do after leaving primary school," says Neil Webster, "We need universal voices that are easy to listen to. Not everyone is able to do that."

Ann Jackson can. She's been a stalwart at York Talking News for almost 30 years.

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"I got involved when I worked at Joseph Rowntree School. One of the teachers was a volunteer here and wanted someone to distribute the tapes. My late husband had just retired and I helped him for three years until 1990 when I became a reader. I've done it ever since."

That said, Ann confesses she still has butterflies every time she turns on the microphone. Like Graham she comes in every month, the nine other readers work on a rota basis.

If that's not enough, she's also the point of contact for anyone who wants a copy.

"I'm a talker," says Ann. "I'm on my own and I just love talking to people."

There's another side to all this. Subscribers are often house bound, but this 45 minute monthly link with what's going on in the outside world means they can stay in touch with happenings in York and discuss it with family and friends.

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"People tell me their relatives love receiving their copy," says Ann. "They say 'did you know about so and so'? – which they didn't. Well, comes the reply, I got that off the talking news."

Another important consideration is alternating female and male voices, which add variety. There are 40 news items per edition, all lasting one minute – a throwback to the days of tape, when each side was 45 minutes – while in depth features are a bit longer.

"There is also the concentration factor," says Neil Webster. "This is not a Kindle book. People won't sit down with it for an hour, they listen to perhaps two or three articles in the morning and the same again the next day. A minute's duration is handy for them to get a feel and then come back to it."

The the oldest listener is 103, although they did have a teenager once. He'll be in his fifties now.

And since the outset, Graham's voice has been a constant companion.

"I saw a short article in the Evening Press about York CVS hosting the first meeting in 1975," he says. "So I went along to see what it was all about."

At the time, Graham insisted he was only interested in becoming a reader, but until recently he's also done most of the distribution tasks.

Pulling all the various strands together is editor Peter Kendall. Very kindly he says his job involves reading through The Press on a daily basis.

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Editor Peter Kendall. Picture: Matt Clark.

"Ann will also look at the Express and cut out certain stories, while Graham is much higher brow, he's Telegraph," says Peter. "We'll also look at People's Friend and the Dalesman looking for articles that we think will be of interest to our readers. We don't put in front page stuff, though, we keep it around general interest."

Favourite items include community and local stories, road closures that sort of thing. Keeping listeners in touch with the goings on in their neighbourhood.

"We use 140 words a minute reading length," says Peter. "I go through each item, count the number of words, transfer it across to a sheet and then work out the time each one will take."

Which is a full day's work. Indeed all the volunteers go the extra mile, but as Neil Hounan says, the rewards are worth the effort.

"It feels like you're actually doing something for somebody else," he says "The letters we get are always very kind and generous. People seem to appreciate what we do and remain with us a long time, which is nice.

"Another aspect I find particularly beneficial is some of the care homes have activity co-ordinators. If we run an article about say Woolworths in the 1960s they'll twig that and say 'ah Jeannie used to work there' and will play her the article.

York Talking News is a completely free service. A USB stick is sent out free of charge via the Royal Mail every month and the listener returns it, also free of charge. Further information can be obtained by ringing Ann Jackson on 01904 760140. email; YTN@talktalk.net York Talking News is a completely independent charity without formal links to any other organisation.