Dunfermline Sound

Guest speaker at this week’s meeting was Pamela Tait who has been a reader at Dunfermline Sound for over 40 years. Pamela gave a comprehensive presentation detailing the work of the charity which converts local newspapers into audio format as a talking newspaper for the visually impaired.

Back in 1976 an electronic engineer Derek Young first introduced this service in Dunfermline after, due to his blindness, Jimmy Simpson had no idea what he was in his local newspaper. Dunfermline Sound was initially sponsored by newly formed Dunfermline Rotaract. Dave Milligan. 

Dunfermline Sound began with 22 listeners, each receiving a fortnightly 60 minute tape. The medium changed through time  to a weekly 90 minute cassette, in 2008 to MP3 CDs and latterly memory sticks. This service, available to the visually impaired, is greatly appreciated as it allows listeners to keep in touch with local news and events.

In 1978 the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust provided two rooms as recording studios above the squash courts in Abbey Park Place. The project operated from a flat in Pittencrieff Street, rooms above public toilets in Queen Anne Street, in March 2023 they moved from above Abbeyview Community into a unit in Izatt Avenue at Dunfermline Business Centre. 

Each Thursday, copies of the Dunfermline Press are taken to the studio to enable volunteers to read news which is recorded onto a computer and then onto a master Memory Stick.  Individual copies are then made for every listener. These are inserted into special postal wallets with the listener's name and address and taken to the Royal Mail Sorting Office for delivery with Friday's mail.

Service users simply reverse the address label on the wallet and post it free of charge back to Dunfermline Sound ready for the next edition.

Legacies, donations and fund raising has allowed upgrading but Dunfermline Sound have a rent to pay for premises. St Columba’s Schools charity bid, recently won £2500 support which they topped up to £3000.

Anyone who could benefit from the talking newspaper please get in touch at Dunfermline Sound https://www.dunfermlinesound.org.uk/Index.asp?MainID=28610