Northern Ireland Charity number: NIC102916
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Member of
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## **Chairman’s Annual Report 2022-23**
## **1 Introduction**
Craigavon Area Talking Newspaper Association was formed in March 1978. It registered with the Inland Revenue as a Charity and later registered with the Northern Ireland Charity Commission.
## **2 Objects of the Association**
The objects of the Association, are to provide information elicited from the local newspapers, to people who have a visual impairment, who live primarily in the Greater Craigavon area, and to do this by the free provision of regular recordings of the Portadown Times and Lurgan Mail, together with the discretionary provision of equipment to enable the recordings to be heard. The purpose of the said recordings is to inform Listeners of local events and opportunities in order that they might have the opportunity to participate.
## **3 Committee**
The current Committee comprises: William Davidson, Interim Chairman; Hazel Semple Interim Vice Chairman; Patricia McGuinness, Secretary; Ken Cardwell Interim Treasurer, Andrew Gribben, IT Manager, Margaret Davidson, Listener Representative and Jim Smart, Volunteer Representatives.
## **4 Volunteers**
There are currently 23 Volunteers active with the Association news teams and 8 with Magazine Week 3.
5 Volunteers have left. Two died: one in December and one in February and three resigned. The Committee was represented at Al’s funeral. Notes of thanks were sent to each retiree and a letter of condolence to the family of Paul Teggart.
We have one new Volunteer who is working on her Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Craigavon Talking Newspaper Secretary : Mrs Patricia McGuinness
57 Kernan Avenue, Portadown, County Armagh BT63 5TB Tel: 028 38 330 336
Email: craiganontn@gmail.com
Patricia, William and Ken continue to cover for absent colleagues.
There is a need for Editors for Teams 1 (Thursday at 2pm (time negotiable)) and copiers for Teams 1 and 3 (Friday at 9am - times also negotiable but must be morning). Team 3 have agreed to meet at 7pm to edit for their team. We could use more readers. At least one more for Teams 1, 2 and 3.
## **5 Listeners**
We currently have 38 Listeners. Younger people are not joining as they get their news from other sources. Recent Listeners have taken the recording for a few weeks then stopped.
## **6. Equipment**
We are replacing our recording equipment which is now quite old and causing problems. The new system should be available in the next week or so complete with user guide.
## **7. Other Organisations**
We continue to receive one or two referrals from Cherrytrees each year. Cherrytrees have a number of items to make like easier for the visually impaired. This will now be advertised from time to time on our recordings.
## **8. Media**
Andrew continues to upload our recordings each week.
We have joined NICVA.
Banbridge, Lisburn and Armagh TNs have now closed. This leaves 10: Ards, Bangor, Coleraine, Downpatrick, Fermanagh, Mid Antrim, Mid Ulster, Newry, Strabane and Craigavon.
## **9. Thanks**
My thanks to the Presbyterian Church for the continued use of the Studio, to Mackles for collecting the papers for us. A particular thanks to the Trustees of the Macan Trust who have been very generous to us for many years. I also wish to thank the many Volunteers who are unstinting in their support, to the Committee who also help out when numbers are low and to our Listeners who, like many of our Volunteers have been with us since the start.
## _William Davidson_
William Davidson June 2023