A TALKING newspaper has recorded a marked increase in circulation since it moved to new headquarters earlier this year.

Oxtalk, which records selected newspaper stories from the Oxford Mail and other papers onto computer memory sticks and sends them out to people with impaired sight, was forced to leave the home it used to share with Radio Cherwell at the Churchill Hospital, Headington, in January when the hospital radio station moved to a smaller studio.

After a three-month break, Oxtalk found a new home to the Oxfordshire Association for the Blind (OAB) centre, off Abingdon Road, in March.

Since the move the charity, which has been running since 1980, has reported an increase in those who sign up for the memory sticks, going from 80 to 110 users.

Oxtalk chairwoman Margaret Simpson, who has been volunteering for the charity for about 30 years, said she was very pleased with the new arrangement.

She said: “I think it’s working out very well.

“We have had an increase in the number of listeners. Whether that is because we were closed for three months, or because people are hearing we are now over at OAB so are getting in touch with us, I don’t know. The facilities suit us here and we are coming to terms with the new recording equipment we had to buy when we had to leave Radio Cherwell.

“People seem to be very pleased with what we are producing.”

Oxtalk has been given the use of four rooms and the kitchenette at OAB, and has storage space.

About 10 members of staff visit the centre on Tuesday evenings to record the news.

OAB director Colin Cure said having Oxtalk on the premises meant it was much easier for the association to keep people up to date with information and events for the blind or visually impaired.

He said: “We’re delighted because we’ve linked together the two organisations.

“One of our main aims here is to keep people informed about what’s going on, so if we’ve got anything we need to tell people about it can go out in the weekly news.

“Now if we hear about an event that’s going on for blind people we can tell Oxtalk and they can put it out and help reach people that are not on our books.”

Oxtalk is keen to recruit more volunteers – call Ray on 01865 765609.