Now we are Sixty Five
The Enfield Talking Newspaper (ETN) is a local charity, powered entirely by volunteers, that provides the blind and visually impaired residents of Enfield with a free weekly recording of articles from our local newspapers and publications. We aim to stay as relevant and current as possible! In this regard, we owe a very big ‘Thank You’ to all at Enfield Civic Centre who allow us to keep our equipment there and have access to the building after hours each Thursday, in order to record, produce and freepost the news to our regular listeners. Without this valuable resource, life at ETN would have been much more complicated, as it has been for other TNs around the country.
Sadly, many of the talking newspapers in the Boroughs around us have closed permanently and will not re-open again. Help to keep ETN bucking this trend by telling friends and family about the service we provide and, encouraging anyone who is interested to listen to us FREE - on podcast/by memory stick/on our website (details at the end of this article about how to access these).
Recently, one of our recordists went on a bit of a mission, starting by looking into the early history of talking newspapers (TNs). This is his story:-
When I began recording at the ETN, a good few years ago now, I was told we were the first talking newspaper in the UK. The Talking News Federation (TNF) website said that TNs began in 1970, but we had proof that Enfield had started 9 years earlier!
Our proof? A blurry photocopy of the Enfield Gazette from the 21st of April 1961. The TNF were not convinced, however. Our esteemed treasurer and fellow recordist, suggested I try to find a better copy of that edition of the local paper.
I looked online and eventually discovered the Enfield Historical Archive at Ridge Avenue Library. It was there that I found the original edition of the Enfield Gazette that I was looking for, and after taking a clearer copy, we had convincing proof of our 1961 start date!
But then I got to thinking, “Were we the first talking newspaper in the UK?”. After a lot more searching on the internet, I landed on the British Newspaper Archive website. Even though it isn’t the most comprehensive website, I did find several talking newspapers that started before 1961. So sadly, we weren’t the first.
The first talking newspaper may have started on the 14th of June 1957 in Aberdare, Mid Glamorgan.
In the 1950s home recordng caught on as a hobby, even though the tape machines of the time were cumbersome and fiddly to use. Ron Sleeman made a recording of the school choir who were singing at the town hall. He played back the performance to an audience of 80 people at the town’s Institute for the Blind. He then suggested to Gwyn Prosser, the editor of the local newspaper, to record some items and help to keep the blind in touch with news and gossip from the Welsh Mining town.
Staff from the newspaper, along with volunteers, produced a weekly recording of the news, which was played back on Friday evenings at the Institute. It was also available there for the rest of the week for those who couldn’t make the playback.
October 1957 saw the launch of the second talking newspaper in nearby Pontypridd, and slowly, talking newspapers began to spring up all over the UK.
Now I’m no historian, but if you know of any talking newspapers that started before June 1957, please get in touch.
I have also been trying to track down a recording of BBC Radio’s “In Touch” programme from the 28th of August 1966. I discovered that this episode featured the Enfield Microphone (the pre-cursor to ETN) as it celebrated its 100th edition.
I’ve asked around, but no one has a copy. I’ve emailed the BBC, but they’ve yet to get back to me. So, if you have a recording of this program, or know someone who has, we’d love to hear it and share it with our listeners; please call us or drop us a line.
I’d like to thank the Kinnon Valley History Society and Elizabeth, one of the original readers, and a reporter from the Aberdare Leader Talking Newspaper for sending me the information about its origin.
In researching this, none of the TNs I found that came before 1961 are still going today. I recently sent my findings to the Talking Newspaper Federation, and they now agree that the Enfield Talking Newspaper, whilst not being the first, is (for the time being at least), the longest running talking newspaper in the UK. Unless of course, you know better…. In 2026 ETN will be 65 years old and we want to celebrate this achievement in a big way, nationally. It would be great to know that we ARE the oldest survivors in the country, going from strength to strength, with more reading volunteers than ever before.
All frivolity aside, to some listeners the ETN provides companionship, for others a much-needed source of information. Perhaps all who receive our weekly recordings would agree that the ETN is a vital support network, that helps to break the barriers of isolation, by allowing listeners to keep in touch with what is going on in our local community.
Special Recording
To celebrate the occiasion of our 65th anniversary, we have recorded a 'historical archive edition' of what the local news in Enfield could have sounded like on 12th May 1961.
You can listen to this special recording here: https://shows.acast.com/5ddfa474a09a86917b9a3e6d/69f4061ee1fad0f98a26d170
Anniversary Celebration
Save the Date: Watch this space for details of our 65th Birthday Party, to be held on Saturday 12th September 2026 at Forty Hall!
