Britain Yearly Meeting 2016: Quakers hear from Talking Friends
Friends heard from those who convert Quaker publications into audio files for the visually impaired
On Saturday afternoon Friends gathered to hear about the role of Talking Friends in helping people with impaired sight gain access to written Quaker material.
Talking Friends began as a concern of Dorking and Horsham Monthly Meeting in 1988. At that time they recorded onto audiocassettes, which remained the main medium for over twenty years.
As Dorking and Horsham Friends became fewer, another group was sought to do the recording. Central England Area Meeting took over the responsibility in 2007.
In 2010 the recording was switched to a digital format, which is much easier to use.
At present, Dorking and Horsham record the Friends Quarterly and Towards Wholeness, while groups or teams, mainly within Central England Area Meeting, record the Friend and Quaker News. The material is accessed by subscription with the Talking Friends.
The Friends involved stressed how much fun they have doing the recordings. They explained how they also have a number of Quaker books stored on memory sticks, including the books of the 2014 and 2015 Swarthmore Lectures and the entire series of Twelve Quakers and…
