Lions celebrate 40th year of invaluable Downsound service

Lions celebrate 40th year of invaluable Downsound service

15 November 2017

DOWNPATRICK Lions Club has celebrated the 40th anniversary of its innovative talking newspaper, Downsound.

Since November 1977, the invaluable service has provided visually impaired and blind people in the area with regular updates about who is making the news headlines locally in the Down Recorder, keeping them abreast with the latest developments across the district.

The success of Downsound is due to the dedication of a band of committed volunteers whose words provide an insight into the comings and goings across the district and what the various movers and shakers are up to.

The first tapes were distributed on Armistice Day 40 ago after some of the volunteers who launched the scheme went to Lisburn to find out about the talking newspaper launched by the city’s Leo Club.

Armed with information about the Lisburn paper, the volunteers returned to Downpatrick to set about creating their own to provide what has become a hugely popular service with the visually impaired and the blind.

Founding members included John Riordan, Margaret Orr, Richard Prytherch and Terry Torney. Others who have played key roles in the success of the talking newspaper include Vincent Murphy, Len Edwards, Tom Morrison, Anne Walsh, Liam Conlon, Deirdre Curran, 

Dorothy Johnston, Colin Flinn, Michael Bohill, Brendan Rodgers, Collette Rooney and Kathleen and Peter McKenny. 

Over the years, Downsound recordings were made at a number of venues including the Teachers’ Centre at Mount Crescent, Pound Lane and Downpatrick’s Social Services offices. 

There was also a spell at the former St. John’s Nursing Home in Pound Lane before the group moved to the Downshire Hospital where readers record, edit and pack up the tapes for distribution, which is looked after by the Post Office free of charge.

Tapes have been going out to all those who request them every fortnight for the past four decades with the Lions Club recently gathering to celebrate Downsound’s’ 40th birthday with a special cake made for the occasion.

Over the years, interviews have been recorded with a number of local people and personalities, with several taking place in unusual locations including the giant Goliath crane at Belfast docks and St John’s Lighthouse.

During the recent 40th anniversary celebration, tribute was paid to previous Downsound readers and current talking newspaper team members Margaret Orr, Deirdre Curran, Hazel and Roger Dunford, Tommy Briggs, Neil Hamilton, Myles Milhench, Anne Millar and Liam Conlon. 

Special mention was made of founding members Lions John Riordan and Terry Torney for their dedication throughout the 40 years of a highly successful venture which keeps the visually impaired and blind up to speed with the major goings on in the district.