Official logo of BDAN
Bedford Talking Newspaper
for the Blind (BDAN)
Registered UK charity no. 802814

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Links from B.D.A.N.
The Bedford Talking Newspaper for the Blind


Revised: January 2012


A range of other public-service, not-for-profit and charitable organisations have asked BDAN to mention their contact details or have given the charity permission to do so.

The following list is structured into sections - local and national (UK) services for the blind, and other local and national links.

Please note: Bedford and District Audio News is not responsible for the content of other websites.

Web links will open in a new window for your convenience

Please mention BDAN if you make contact with an organisation or person by using the details on this page

In order to try to combat automated 'spam' junk messages, e-mail addresses are shown on this site separated by spaces and written using 'AT' for the '@' symbol and 'DOT' for a full stop.



In-page links to:


Local newspapers read by BDAN - click here

Neighbouring / local (Bedfordshire and surrounding counties) Talking Newspapers / services for the blind
Click here

Other UK Local Talking Newspapers / services for the blind - click here

Nationally organised services for the blind - click here

Other local links - click here

Other national links - click here




Link your charity or public service to this site

If you would like to submit a request for inclusion in the list or plan to link to the BDAN site, please e-mail:

contact AT bdan DOT org DOT uk
( please add 'BDAN Web Link' in the subject heading )

BDAN cannot usually provide details of, or a link to, a commercial website, company or private homepage.







Newspapers that provide material for weekly BDAN news programmes:


Bedfordshire Times and Citizen
(formerly The Bedfordshire Times)
(Bedford Today website)
(Johnson Press)
Published every Thursday
Click on this link to visit the official website


Bedfordshire on Sunday
(Local Sunday Newspapers - LSN Media)
Available each week
Click here to go to the BoS webpages





1985 Beds Times article headed: 'Spreading The Word to Help The Blind' by reporter David Dalton, with photos of Cyril Humphreys and also a five-strong BDAN team (including Cyril) recording















Above: September 1985 - The Bedfordshire Times profiles the work of BDAN.
Founding Chairman, Cyril Humphreys, asks: 'Why should the blind miss out?'

Article used by kind permission of the Bedfordshire Times and Citizen







Local / neighbouring Talking Newspapers
and organisations for the blind


(Bedfordshire or surrounding counties - Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire)

(Includes approximate area of news coverage)

What is local? To access a Google-produced map showing Bedford and its neighbouring area, click here

N.B. Local Talking Newspapers are available to qualifying recipients by post, for free, anywhere in the UK. Listeners may also take the output of more than one Talking Newspaper



Ampthill
(Area covered by BDAN)


Ampthill and Flitwick Talking Newspaper (AFTN)
Operated from 1995 - 2008
Sadly this service closed at the end of 2008, with assets passing to Bedford and District Audio News. BDAN is interested in hearing from any AFTN listeners or volunteer helpers who would like to join the Bedford operation.
(Ampthill and Flitwick are covered by BDAN)


Bedford and District Audio News (BDAN)
You are looking at the BDAN website!
Weekly news and quarterly magazine programmes, available on audio cassette tape, USB memory stick and via this site


Biggleswade Talking Newspaper
East Bedfordshire
Note: Some of this area is also covered by BDAN
Click here to visit the website


Bucks Association for Blind and Partially Sighted People
Buckinghamshire
Click here to visit the webpages


Cambridge Talking News
Cambridge city
Click here to visit the website


Cam Sight
Cambridge-based charity assisting the partially sighted
Click here to visit the official site


Corby
(See entry for Northampton Association for the Blind - NAB)


Dacorum Talking Newspaper (DTN)
West Hertfordshire
Click here to visit the DTN webpages


Dunstable
(See entry for Luton and Dunstable Talking Newspaper)


Earls Barton
(See Northampton Association for the Blind entry)


Flitwick
(Area covered by BDAN)


Granta Grapevine
South Cambridgeshire - Linton area
Click here to see the website


Higham Ferrers
(See Wellingborough Talking Newspaper)


Huntingdonshire Talking Newspaper for the Blind
Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire
Contact Mr. F. P. Horsley 01480 810817


Irchester
(See Northampton Association for the Blind entry)


Kettering
(See Northampton Association for the Blind entry)


Kempston
(Kempston town is covered by BDAN)


Leighton Buzzard Talking Newspaper
Mid/west Bedfordshire
Service recorded by Sight Concern, Bedfordshire


Luton Borough Council
- services for the visually impaired
Luton, Bedfordshire
Click here to visit the specific webpage


Luton and Dunstable Talking Newspaper
South Bedfordshire
Service recorded by Sight Concern, Bedfordshire

This Talking Newspaper can be accessed online, from Luton Today, the website of the Herald and Post and The Luton News
Click here to go to the specific page of Luton Today


Milton Keynes
(See entry for Sound News Milton Keynes)


Newport Pagnell
(See entry for Sound News Milton Keynes)


Northampton Association for the Blind (NAB)
NAB produce Sound News, a Talking Newspaper.
Two versions are available - Northampton and district,
and Kettering, Corby and Oundle, Northamptonshire
Click here to look at the NAB webpages
(See also Wellingborough and District Talking Newspaper)


Olney
(See entry for Sound News Milton Keynes)
Note: Some of the surrounding area is also covered by BDAN.


Peterborough and District Talking Newspaper Association
Peterborough area, Cambridgeshire
Contact Ms. Jill Hucklesby, Secretary 01733 231894


Potton
Occasional news stories covered by BDAN
(See entry for Biggleswade Talking Newspaper)


Rushden
(See entry for Wellingborough Talking Newspaper)


St. Neots Talking Newspaper for the Blind
St. Neots, Eaton Socon and surrounding villages in west Cambridgeshire and north east Bedfordshire
(Note: Some of the surrounding area is also covered by BDAN)
Contact Mr. Graham Collins 01480 215892


Sandy
Occasional news stories covered by BDAN
(See entry for Biggleswade Talking Newspaper)


Shefford
(Area covered by BDAN)


Sight Concern Bedfordshire
(See also Luton and Dustable Talking Newspaper)
Click here to visit the official site


Sound News Milton Keynes
MK and district, Newport Pagnell and north Buckinghamshire
Contact Ms. Shirley Coulson 01908 653089
or email: shirleycoulson89 AT hotmail DOT co DOT uk


Visual Impairment Team (Bedford Borough Council)
Click here to visit the official page
(For other Borough Council services, see entry in Other Local Links)



Wellingborough and District Talking Newspaper
Wellingborough, Rushden and parts of east Northamptonshire
Click here to visit the official website
(See also Northamptonshire Association for the Blind (NAB))


Wilby
(See Northampton Association for the Blind entry)


Wixams, The
(Area covered by BDAN)







BDAN makes the headlines - a double-page spread in November 2011 with photo of a recordist at work. Headline: 'We're not just a top read - thanks to Bedford's talking newspaper your T&C is a great listen too!'

A double-page spread about BDAN in a November 2011 edition of the Bedfordshire Times and Citizen

Reproduced with permission from Bedfordshire Times and Citizen
(Photograph shown in the paper taken by June Essex)







Other UK Local Talking Newspapers / services for the blind


(Not including Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire, which are listed above)


N.B. Local Talking Newspapers are available to qualifying recipients by post, for free, anywhere in the UK. Listeners may also take the output of more than one Talking Newspaper



Chatterbox - The Norwich Talking Newspaper
Norfolk
Click to go to the site


Colchester and District Talking Newspaper (CDTN)
Essex
Click to go to the pages


Coventry Talking Newspaper (Outlook)
(produced by Community Broadcasting Services - CBS)
Coventry and district
Click here to visit the website


Crewe and Nantwich Talking Newspaper
Cheshire
Click to visit the official site


Ealing Talking Newspapers
West London
Click here to go to the pages


Edinburgh
(See Lothiansound)


Grapevine - The Great Yarmouth Talking Newspaper
Norfolk
Click here to visit the site


Hull and District Talking Magazine
Click here to visit the official pages


Kent Association for the Blind (KAB)
(Includes Talking Newspaper production)
Click to peruse the pages


Lothiansound
Based in Edinburgh
Click here to visit the website


Lowestoft and District Talking Newspaper
Suffolk
Click to visit the official site


Macclesfield and District Talking Newspaper for the Blind
Cheshire
Click to visit the official pages


Mid-Essex Talking News
Serving Braintree and district, Essex
Click here to visit the site


Norwich
(See Chatterbox)


Oxeyes
Oxfordshire Association for the Blind
Click here to visit the site


Oxfordshire Talking Newspaper groups, list of
(Presented by Oxeyes)
Click here to visit the specific Oxeyes page


Reading Talking Newspaper
Berkshire
Click here to visit the site


Scarborough Talking News
Yorkshire
Click here to visit the pages


Sheffield Talking News (STN)
South Yorkshire
Click here to visit the site


Scotland - Association of Scottish Talking Newspapers (ASTN)
(Includes links to local member Talking Newspaper services)
Click here to visit the official pages


Talking News Federation (TNF)
National organisation with links and information about the large number of local Talking Newspaper services
across the United Kingdom. BDAN is affiliated to the TNF
Click here to access the official pages


Warkwickshire Association for the Blind (WAB)
Click to visit the official pages


West Shropshire Talking Newspaper (WSTN)
Area includes: Ellesmere, Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Ludlow
Click to visit the official site









Photograph of four BDAN microphones and a pair of headphones, taken in October 2010

Ready to record the local news from Bedford - BDAN microphones in position







Further afield: National (UK) organisations helping the visually impaired:





Action For Blind People (UK)
Click here to go to the webpages


Association of Scottish Talking Newspapers (ASTN)
Click here to visit the official pages


British Wireless For The Blind Fund (BWBF)
Click here to go to the website


Guide Dogs for the Blind (UK)
Click here to go to the official pages


Help The Aged (UK)
Click here to go to the official site


Insight Radio
(See under entry for RNIB)


National newspapers and publications
(See under entry for Talking Newspaper Association of the United Kingdom - TNAUK)


Queen Alexandra College (QAC)
National college for people with visual impairment
and other disabilities
Based in Birmingham, West Midlands
Click here to go to the site


QAC also hosts Sight Village - a national three-day event
for the blind or partially sighted, and other interested parties
Click here to go to the home page


Royal National Institute For The Blind (RNIB)
Click here to go to the website


RNIB operates Insight Radio - a radio station
for the blind, partially sighted, and other interested parties
Click here to go to the home page


St. Dunstan's
A service providing assistance to blind or partially sighted
former UK servicemen and women
Click here to go to the pages


Stroke Association (UK)
Click here to go to the site


Talking News Federation (TNF)
National organisation with links and information about the large number of local Talking Newspaper services
across the United Kingdom. BDAN is affiliated to the TNF
Click here to access the official pages


Talking Newspaper Association of the United Kingdom (TNAUK)
Organisation to contact for details of UK national newspapers and other publications available on audio tape and CD
Click here to go to the official online presence







Black BDAN cassettes, a black wallet and a silver microphone positioned on top of Bedford newspaper pages. Image taken in 2006'



The BDAN news from Bedford, read by volunteers to tape and USB sticks, and sent free to blind listeners across the UK










Other Local Links
(Bedfordshire and surrounding area):


What is local? To access a Google-produced map showing Bedford and its neighbouring area, click here

The Wikipedia entry for Bedford, UK
can be accessed by clicking here




About My Area - Bedford
Community website for Bedford
Click here to be taken to the site


About My Area - SG19
Community website for UK postcode area SG19
and the surrounding Biggleswade area
Click here to be taken to the pages


Age Concern Bedfordshire
Local charity supporting the over 50s
Click here to visit the website


Ampthill Town Council
Based in the mid Bedfordshire town
Please click here to go to the site


Bedford Architectural, Archaeological
and Local History Society (BAALHS)
Official site of the registered charity
Click here to view the website


Bedford Daycare Hospice
Official site of the charity providing specialist palliative care to those with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses
Click here to view the site


The Bedford Society
(Merged with the Bedford Archaeological
& Local History Society in 2008,
- see entry for BAALHS)


BBC Local Radio
(See Three Counties Radio)


Bedford Borough Council
A unitary authority
based at Borough Hall, Bedford
Click here to go to the website

For the Borough Council's Directory of Services local links...
(covers areas including carers' services, counselling and support, drugs, alcohol and substance misuse, health, housing and older people's services, disabilities and impairments)
Click here

For the Borough Council's Visual Impairment Team click here

For the Council's Tourist Information site click here



Bedford Cemetery Friends
(See entry for Friends of Bedford Cemetery)


Bedford Citizens Housing Association
Charitable Housing Asociation in the Bedford area
Click here to go to the official site


Bedfordshire County Council
Abolished in April 2009
(See entry for Bedford Borough Council)


Bedfordshire Police
Headquarters in Kempston
Click here to be taken to the pages


Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity (BRCC)
Organisation assisting and representing local people, through day-to-day contact, and as an independent advocate for rural issues
Click here to follow a hyperlink to the official pages


Biddenham Parish Council
Official website for the village, located just west of Bedford
Click here to launch a window to the site


Brickhill Parish Council
Official website for the parish area in northern Bedford
Click here to visit to the pages


Caddington Village Parish Council
Official website for the south Bedfordshire village
Click here to visit the site


Carers
(See entry under Bedford Borough Council, and in the 'Other National (GB / UK) Links' section, see under Carers Direct)


Central Bedfordshire Access Group
(formerly Mid & Central Bedfordshire Access Group)
Click to peruse the pages


Clapham Parish Council - Community Website
Official website for the village just north of Bedford
Click here to visit to the site


Community & Voluntary Service (CVS)
Mid & North Bedfordshire
(formerly North Bedfordshire Council for Voluntary Service)
(BDAN is a member of this organisation)
Based in Bedford
Click here to be taken to the site


Cople Village
Website for the village just south-east of Bedford
Click here to be taken to the site


Doctors
(See entry for NHS Direct in the 'Other National (GB / UK) Links' section)


Felmersham.net (Felmersham and Radwell)
Website for the north Bedfordshire villages
Click here to peruse the independent site


Friends of Bedford Cemetery
Website for the Foster Hill Road site
Click here to go to the pages


Gamlingay Village
Official village website for the east Bedfordshire village
Click here to go to the site


Harrold Online
Official Parish Council website for the village north of Bedford
Click here to launch a window to the pages


Henlow Parish Council
Official website for the mid Bedfordshire village
Click here to launch a window to the site


Jobs
(in the 'Other National (GB / UK) Links' section, see under UK Government Portal)


Kimbolton & Stonely Parish Council
Official website for the west Cambridgeshire villages
Click here to launch a window to the site


Leighton-Linslade Town Council
Official website for the twin towns
of Leighton Buzzard and Linslade, mid Bedfordshire
Click here to view the pages


Luton Borough Council
Unitary authority for the town of Luton
Click here to visit the council's homepage


Luton Today
The website of the Herald and Post and The Luton News
Click here to visit the pages


Mid and Central Bedfordshire Access Group
(See entry under Central Beds Access Group)


Milton Ernest Parish Council
Official website for the village in north Bedfordshire
Click on this link to access the pages


Oakley Village
Official website for the village north of Bedford
Click here to access the webpages


The Unofficial Olney Page
Unofficial website for the north Buckinghamshire town of Olney
Click here to access the pages


Police (Bedfordshire)
(See entry Bedfordshire Police)


Radwell Village
See Felmersham and Radwell link above


Radio Bedfordshire (BBC)
See entry for Three Counties Radio (BBC)


Right Track, Bedford
Project where people with learning disabilities support each other for information and advice
Click here to access the content


St. Neots Town Council
Official site for the west Cambridgeshire town
Click here to access the webpages


Sandy Community Website
An online site for the east Bedfordshire town
Click here to access the webpages


Sharnbrook Online
Official pages for the north Bedfordshire village,
operated by the Parish Council
Click here to access the site


Shefford Town website
Official online pages
Click here to access the webpages


Silver Surfers @ Bedford
Project to encourage over 50s in the Bedford area to use computers and the Internet
Click here to view the site


Social Services (locally)
(See entry under Bedford Borough Council)


Town Hall
(See entry for Bedford Borough Council)


Three Counties Radio (BBC)
Local British Broadcasting Corporation radio service and website
covering Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire
Click here to view the specific BBC pages


Tourist Information (Bedford area)
(See entry underneath Bedford Borough Council)


Toddington Parish Council Website
Official pages for the south Bedfordshire village
Click here to access the site


University of the Third Age (U3A) (Bedford)
Education and activities for local retired and older residents
Click here to view their pages


Wilstead Village
Official online community pages for the mid Bedfordshire village
Click here to access the site








Black BDAN cassettes surrounding the logos of the Bedfordshire on Sunday and Times and Citizen newspapers. Image taken in 2006


Recording the week's local news for blind people since 1978 - the Bedford Talking Newspaper - a registered charity







Other National (GB / UK) Links





British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
National and local UK public service radio and TV
Click here to go to the BBC homepage

For the local (to Bedford) BBC web pages, see entry under Three Counties Radio (in Other Local Links section)


Carers Direct
Official website run by the National Health Service (NHS)
Information, advice and support for carers
Click here to access the homepage


Consumer Direct
UK Government funded service providing consumer advice
Click here to visit the official pages


NHS Direct
UK Health Service website with contact details and information relating to all health issues
Click here to visit the official site


UK Government (Direct.gov.uk)
Official online portal for the United Kingdom Government
Directgov - public services all in one place
Click here to access the site


Web-Hosting.uk.com
The company which generously hosts the BDAN website for free
Click here to visit the site






Please don't forget to mention the BDAN site if you get in touch with people or services via this page!

What is a Talking Newspaper and what does BDAN do? Find out about about our free cassettes / USB sticks of local news by going to About BDAN - accessed via our index / home page

For full details about how to contact BDAN (including press / media enquiries) please see the Get Involved page on this website




Click here to return to the Index page