TROWBRIDGE Talking News spread awareness about its valuable community service providing audio recordings of Wiltshire Times articles to the visually impaired at ASDA on Saturday.

The service, formerly known as Trowbridge Tapes for the Blind, has run for more than 30 years, after originally being initiated by the Trowbridge and District Rotary Club.

Volunteers from TTN put on a demonstration of how they produce the weekly audio recording at the supermarket in The Shires in Trowbridge, as well as giving visitors a chance to use the digital playback box used by their clients.

Jackie Merivale, a reader for Trowbridge Talking News, said: “It was a successful day with customers able to find out more about this free service.

“We attracted a lot of interest as people could experiment with the equipment used by our clients in their own homes.

“A total of £41.93 was received in donations, which was a good outcome considering that donations were not the primary objective. We are keen to increase the number of listeners and hopefully we will get some applications following this day.

“If we have helped even one more person through our Awareness Day it will have been worthwhile.

We are grateful to everyone who kindly gave a donation.”

The process sees a group of 20 volunteers taking it in turns to record stories in the Wiltshire Times to create a master digital memory stick, which is then used to prepare around 80 individual memory sticks for visually impaired residents each week.

TTN has also been chosen by ASDA as one of the store’s local good causes for March, with customers able to vote with a green token. The leading cause receives £200 and the runner-up £50.

For more information about how to help or provide support to Trowbridge Talking News, contact Geoff Holt on 01225 762336 or email gkholt@blueyonder.co.uk