Talking newspaper helps Veronica make headlines

Veronica Wallace, a former librarian who helped set up a unique "talking newspaper" for blind and visually impaired people, has been crowned East Lothian Volunteer of the Year.

Cockburnspath resident Mrs Wallace received the accolade for her work with the East Lothian Messenger, an audio publication put together by teams of volunteers who make tape recordings of stories from local newspapers.

Mrs Wallace described the Messenger – distributed free to 150 listeners throughout East Lothian – as a "lifeline" for people with sight problems.

She added: "Local news is something everybody should have access to. It can be a big hole in people's lives if they don't know what's going on where they are."

One of four siblings, Mrs Wallace was born in 1944 in Bolton, Lancashire. When she was three her family moved to Kirkham, near Preston, where Mrs Wallace attended primary and secondary school.

At 16 she began work at the motor tax department in Preston, processing licences. Following marriage to Jack, Mrs Wallace began holidaying regularly in East Lothian.

She said: "It was Jack who first brought me there and we both really loved it. I then saw a job advertised in Dunbar library, which I applied for and got. All this happened to coincide with my husband losing his job, so there was no reason for us not to move up when I was offered the post. We came in 1981."

In 1986 Mrs Wallace moved to library headquarters in Haddington to work as local history librarian, a post she held until 2004. It was in 1989 that the idea of an audio newspaper emerged.

Mrs Wallace said: "A new librarian pointed out that visually impaired people don't have access to local news and wanted to pilot a newspaper for them. As community services librarian, it fell within my remit to oversee the pilot.

"We did our first recording and drove around giving copies to listeners and getting their feedback. We then decided there was a need for the service and, a couple of years later, started the project properly. I believe the first recording was in January 1993."

Describing her reaction to being named Volunteer of the Year, Mrs Wallace said: "It means a lot because it's recognition for the Messenger and for the work being done by everyone involved."

Newspaper treasurer David Haire said: "Veronica oils the wheels of the whole operation. She's warm and has a great sense of humour. She's very focused and is able to maintain a balance between what needs to be done and people feeling like they're part of a family."

For more information on volunteering for or receiving the East Lothian Messenger, call 01368 830 363.