PRESS RELEASE

Issued: 28th July 2008

For Immediate Release

Lord Lieutenant Presents Queen's Award

Mrs Phyllida Stewart-Roberts OBE, the Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex,
presented National Talking Newspapers & Magazines with the Queen's Award for
Voluntary Service at a ceremony held at Heathfield Community Centre on
Saturday 26th July.

In addition to National Talking Newspapers & Magazines volunteers and staff,
local MP Charles Hendry, County Council Chairman Bob Lacey OBE - Chairman
ESCC along with other senior figures from local government and the voluntary
sector were in attendance, along with some of the charity's visually
impaired subscribers.

National Talking Newspapers and Magazines received the award, first
announced on June 2nd, in recognition of the vital contribution made by
hundreds of volunteers to the charity's work in providing newspapers and
magazines in a variety of audio and other accessible formats for blind and
print disabled people.

In particular, the volunteers provide the voices for more than 200
newspapers and magazines recorded at the National Recording Centre in
Heathfield. Without this contribution from volunteers it would not be
practical to provide the service that has been described as a 'lifeline' to
so many.

ENDS


Further Information

Simon Courcha, Marketing Manager, National Talking Newspapers and Magazines,
National Recording Centre, Heathfield, East Sussex, TN21 8DB

T: 01435 866102		E: simon@tnauk.org.uk
F: 01435 865422		W: www.tnauk.org.uk

Notes to Editors

* Images from the ceremony can be downloaded from:
http://www.tnauk.org.uk/Images/media/Queen's_award/
Caption material is part of the summary information within each file.

* Since 1984, National Talking Newspapers and Magazines, a registered
charity, has been providing visually impaired and print disabled people in
the UK and worldwide with newspapers and magazines in a variety of
alternative formats including tape, audio CD, DAISY CD, audio download and
digital full-text.

* Based in Heathfield, East Sussex, the charity's 40 staff and 200+
volunteers record more than 200 different newspaper and magazine titles and
deliver more than 1 million tapes and CDs each year to thousands of people
who cannot access the printed word.

* Three million people in the UK have a sight problem or print reading
disability.

* The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service is awarded annually and recognises
the vital role played by the hundreds of thousands of 'unsung heroes' of the
voluntary and community world and emphasises the importance of continuing
recognition of their work. More information about the Queen's Award for
Voluntary Service can be found on the website:
www.Queen'sawardvoluntary.gov.uk

* Photos showing the charity's work, along with other supporting material,
can be found on our media resources page:
www.tnauk.org.uk/Pages/media_resources.html

* National Talking Newspapers & Magazines transcribe popular national
newspapers and periodicals. Local publications are transcribed by a network
of more than 500 local talking newspapers. For more information, contact the
Talking News Federation, Tel: 0871 226 5506, E-mail: enquiries@tnf.org.uk,
Web: www.tnf.org.uk

* National Talking Newspapers & Magazines is a registered charity: TNAUK
Registered Charity No. 293656