TWO LONG serving members of the Powys Talking Newspaper received certificates for their commitment and hard work at a special meeting held at the Welshpool Methodist Church on Wednesday.

Mark Neale, the treasurer, and Peter England, chairman, both received a ‘Certificate of Appreciation’, and were given the honourary roles of president and vice president for the years they’ve dedicated to the Talking Newspaper – a service providing audio recordings of Powys newspapers for the visually impaired.

Mr Neale has volunteered with the talking newspaper, which has been up and running since 1971, for 12 years; and Mr England, for 40.

The talking newspaper records and distributes cassette tapes of the local news to people across the county using copies of the Powys County Times and the Brecon & Radnor Express newspapers.

Mr England said that it would be an “honour” to be president and that he’s “very pleased to be offered the place on the association”.

“I want to thank everybody who played a part in providing the quality and quantity of food and I want to thank everybody who came to the meeting, some who may have faced difficulties in getting there.

“I want to thank everyone for all they had done to make a very pleasant afternoon. I’m very very grateful and humbled that all that trouble has been put into the afternoon,” Mr England said.

Mr England also wanted to express his thanks to other people in the organisation who have helped with the Talking Newspaper over the years. This includes all the listeners and volunteers, as well as the Powys County Times and Brecon & Radnor Express, which allow their newspapers to be used free of charge, and the Royal Mail, which delivers the cassettes to listeners, also free of charge. Mr England said that without them, the Talking Newspaper would not have been able to have kept going for so many years.

The Powys Talking Newspaper has delivered more than 200,000 cassettes over the years it has been running, but it had recently been struggling due to a lack of volunteers.

Thankfully, a group of new volunteers came forward after a call for people to help in the County Times, enabling Mr England and Mr Neale to retire from their roles knowing the Talking Newspaper would live on. The new committee members were behind the decision to hold a special meeting for their departure: presenting the men with certificates and holding a buffet lunch.

Mr England said: “The new committee is bringing life to the Talking Newspaper. It will continue for many years to come.”