TN
COUNTY DURHAM TALKING NEWSPAPER
CIO Charity: Registered No.1159940
Unit 1, City West Business Park, St John’s Road, Meadowfield, Durham, DH7 8ER T: 07888 645656 E: info@cdtn.org.uk www.cdtn.org.uk
ANNUAL REPORT FOR PERIOD JANUARY 2024 - DECEMBER 2024
Trustees: Stephen Prior (Chair); Alice Severs; Linda Johnson; Leita Prior (Managing Editor/Administrator)
Charitable Objects:
“To relieve blind and partially sighted people, or those labouring under some temporary or permanent incapacity or disability which makes reading a strain, in County Durham and the surrounding areas by the provision of audio resources in particular, but not exclusively, a talking newspaper.”
A FREE RESOURCE FOR 100 VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE in COUNTY DURHAM
This period marks the completion of ten years’ of continuous operation. CDTN was set up to maintain an existing service that was about to close down along with its former charity provider, and we wanted to keep supporting those service users. Our charity is run entirely by a small group of unpaid volunteers.
Throughout the year CDTN continued to provide a free audio package of local news and feature content for County Durham people who live with sight loss. The news content is sourced mostly from The Northern Echo and covers County Durham only. Content for the 40-minute ‘magazine’ section of our 80minute recording is sourced mostly from local and regional publications; the articles we choose are generally to do with local history or nostalgia. Also included are VIP-specific notices and our own interviews or locally relevant packages such as coverage of the annual Durham Miners’ Gala.
The recordings – either CDs or USBs— are delivered by Royal Mail free of charge under the ‘Articles for the Blind’ concession. This year (2024) our recordings have been received by around 90 listeners every fortnight; the average age of our listener body is around 85 years.
CDTN is a member of the Talking Newspaper Federation (TNF) through whom we enjoy a discounted insurance package along with advice and ideas.
THE FINANCES
(See Receipts & Payments Accounts in Appendix below)
Our service is completely free to our users, and we never ask them for donations. Recordings are carried in reusable heavy duty ‘wallets’ by Royal Mail under the free-of-charge ‘Articles for the Blind’ concession; listeners also return their postal wallets free of charge
Our operating costs include office rent, blank CDs, replacement postal wallets, insurance, newspapers USB sticks, USB players, office supplies and TNF subscriptions. Only two of our volunteers ever claim expenses (other than where such amounts are donated straight back to the charity).
We receive no grant aid. Our costs are met by (a) the remains of a legacy from former charity VIPS in County Durham which closed in 2014; (b) public donations.
With respect to reserves: we have no employment obligations but our reserves policy states that we should keep at least 6 months’ running costs in reserve (to serve notice on our rented accommodation and pay any outstanding volunteer expenses, newspaper bills, etc.). At present this figure would be around £3,000.
Trustees declare they have approved the trustees report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
…………………………………
Stephen Prior (Chair of Trustees) 14th October 2025
APPENDIX: RECEIPTS AND PAYMENT ACCOUNT
(January 2024 – December 2024)
COUNTY DURHAM TALKING NEWSPAPER
CIO Charity: Registered No.1159940
NB All figures to nearest £.
| Receipts and payments Receipts Donations Legacies RecordingIncome Sub total(Gross income for AR) Payments ~~== ~~ |
Unrestricted £ 250 - 1,719 1,969 |
Restricted Endowment Total Last year £ £ £ £ - 250 4,000 - - - 1,719 1,773 - - 1,969 5,773 ~~EEE~~ |
Restricted Endowment Total Last year £ £ £ £ - 250 4,000 - - - 1,719 1,773 - - 1,969 5,773 ~~EEE~~ |
Restricted Endowment Total Last year £ £ £ £ - 250 4,000 - - - 1,719 1,773 - - 1,969 5,773 ~~EEE~~ |
Restricted Endowment Total Last year £ £ £ £ - 250 4,000 - - - 1,719 1,773 - - 1,969 5,773 ~~EEE~~ |
Restricted Endowment Total Last year £ £ £ £ - 250 4,000 - - - 1,719 1,773 - - 1,969 5,773 ~~EEE~~ |
Restricted Endowment Total Last year £ £ £ £ - 250 4,000 - - - 1,719 1,773 - - 1,969 5,773 ~~EEE~~ |
Restricted Endowment Total Last year £ £ £ £ - 250 4,000 - - - 1,719 1,773 - - 1,969 5,773 ~~EEE~~ |
Restricted Endowment Total Last year £ £ £ £ - 250 4,000 - - - 1,719 1,773 - - 1,969 5,773 ~~EEE~~ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office(includes rent, insurance, communications) 3,886 - 3,886 3,886 Recording (includes distributed consumables) 577 - 577 148 Recordingand reproduction equipment 85 - 85 Advertising - - - Volunteer expenses 1,720 - 1,720 1,770 Newspapers 389 - 389 408 - Sub total 6,657 - 6,657 6,212 ~~=—=====~~ |
|||||||||
| Net of receipts/(payments) - 4,689 - - - 4,689 - 439 A5 Transfers between funds - - - - A6 Cash funds last year end 6,908 - - 6,908 7,347 Cash funds this year end 2,219 - - 2,219 6,908 ~~=—=—=———~~ |
|||||||||
| Endowment | Total | Total | |||||||
| Cash funds | £ | £ | £ | ||||||
| CAF Bank Account | 2,219 | - | - | 2,219 | 6,908 | ||||
| - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Total cash funds | Total cash funds 2,219 | - | 2,219 | 6,908 | |||||
| Endowment | Total | Total | |||||||
| Assets retained for the charity’s own use | £ | £ | £ | ||||||
| 4 x PCs | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Recordingequipment | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Audio reproduction equipment | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Furniture | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| Total | - | - | - | - | - |
Signed by Chair of Trustees: ………………………………. Stephen Prior, 14th October 2025