FATN Talking News (formerly known as The Farnham & Alton Talking Newspapers) is a charity that provides high quality recordings of local newspapers to visually impaired people.
This page provides some information about FATN Talking News. We are one of the oldest Talking Newspaper charities in the UK. We were founded in 1971, at first using borrowed equipment to create Talking Book tapes for 18 Listeners in Farnham. Our charity has grown from this modest start, and we now deliver Talking News editions every week to approximately 200 Listeners. We have a busy team of about 80 volunteers, and are based in a studio in Farnham. We’re members of the Talking News Federation (TNF), which supports local Talking Newspapers in the UK.
The region that we cover has expanded from its original Farnham base. Each week we produce two separate recordings of the Weekly Newspapers, covering:
Waverley, Rushmoor, Hart, Surrey Heath and East Hampshire.
We also produce a monthly magazine, and provide this to Listeners each month in addition to that week’s edition.
The technology we use has also evolved, from analogue recording onto Talking Book tapes to digital recording onto USB memory sticks. We’re also continually developing our web and online services.