A DEVELOPER living in Llanidloes has won an international ‘Tech For Good’ award for a free Alexa app, known as a ‘skill’, which he developed for blind people to be able to hear local and national talking newspaper services.

Jonathan Horniblow, of Talking Newspaper Services, based in Llanidloes, said: “There are some 500 talking newspaper charities in the UK and thousands nationally, with real people recording the news weekly, designed to be like a friend reading the paper to you.

“Traditionally, talking newspapers have been sent out on cassette and then memory sticks. But it always relies on the Royal Mail and expensive, fiddly playback equipment which the talking newspaper usually provides for free to the listener, but provides quite a time and cost burden to the charity producing it.

“I took my experience of working with talking newspapers and their listeners, and thought how much easier it would be to simply use your ears and voice to ask for the very latest edition.”

Mr Horniblow said he has been providing a telephone service for almost a decade which allows listeners to interactively get this news for what is usually a free weekend call. He added: “But when these little Echo Dot devices started being available for under £25 I instantly recognised the potential and started developing.

“The listener never has to subscribe, pay or give any personal details to use the service. Just grab any Alexa device, like the free mobile app, ‘enable my talking newspaper’ and start using it!

“Although there are currently only some 40 services available right now, it’s growing all the time as talking newspapers move towards producing digitally.”