75th Anniversary
On the 75th anniversary of its Talking Books Service (8th November), RNIB asks 'what would it mean to you if you suddenly lost your ability to see the written word?' Reading is a vital part of everyday life and RNIB Talking Books gives hope and opportunity to thousands of blind and partially sighted people.
Authors from all over the UK join the Royal National Institute of Blind People in celebrating 75 years of Talking Books and the launch of RNIB's Lost & Found campaign. The campaign highlights the importance of the Talking Books Service, one of the UK's oldest and most used services provided by a charity. First issued in 1935 to soldiers injured during the First World War, RNIB now sends over 1.76 million Talking Books out each year to people with sight problems. Containing almost 18,000 titles, RNIB's Talking Books Sservice is one of the largest collections of unabridged audio books in the world. However, less than 5% of books are available in a format accessible to blind and partially sighted people.
Sue Townsend
Sue Townsend, author and RNIB supporter, lost her sight in 2001: "I can only describe losing your sight as a form of bereavement. You feel like you've lost a close friend on whom you could depend, a friend who was always there. I felt like I was entering a smaller world. I am now unable to read more than one in twenty of all the books ever published. I sometimes think to myself, 'how did we manage to put a man on the moon 40 years ago but in the 21st century we can't even make more large print, audio and braille books available to blind and partially sighted people?' RNIB Talking Books is an excellent service. It provides a lifeline so people can read more of the books they love."
To help support RNIB's Talking BooksBook service, call the donation line 0845 3450054 or visit www.rnib.org.uk
Ends
To arrange an interview with a celebrity supporter such as Tony Hawks, Julian Fellowes or Frederick Forsyth or someone who lost their sight contact Stacey Kerr or Susan Duncan, RNIB Press Office on 020 7391 2223 (out of hours mobile: 07968 482812)
Notes to editors
Since 1935, RNIB Talking Books has issued millions of books to blind and partially sighted people across the country, making it one of the most popular services ever provided by a charity in the UK. RNIB now sends out over 1.76 million Talking Books each year to people with sight problems.
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The RNIB Talking BooksBook Service contains almost 18,000 titles, making it the largest collection of unabridged audio books in the UK and one of the largest in the world.
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There are almost two million people living with sight loss in the UK.
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Over 7,000 RNIB Talking Books are issued every day.
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As early as 1920, the RNIB began testing various formats to produce Ttalking Bbooks. By 1926 the organisation was experimenting with long-playing records which could be played on gramophones. It was thanks to the RNIB's trail blazing that LPs were eventually adopted by the music industry.
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The most popular authors include JK Rowling, James Patterson, Agatha Christie, Danielle Steel, John Grisham and Jodie Picoult
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Some of the most popular books for the last year are Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, Dear Fatty by Dawn French and How to cheat at cooking by Delia Smith.
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It costs up to £2,500 to generate a new RNIB Talking Book and it can take up to 3 months to produce.
To find out more about RNIB's Talking Books Sservice visit www.rmibrnib.org.uk/library