Latest Activities & Events

For the past 35 years, Three Rivers Talking News (3RTN) has recorded items from the local newspaper (the Beccles & Bungay Journal) and distributed them to blind and partially sighted people in the community, keeping them up to date with local news.

Since March, 3RTN has extended its listenership to include anyone with a chronic illness such as MS, MND or Parkinson’s or, indeed, anything that makes reading difficult. The content of 3RTN recordings has also been expanded beyond local news to include topics such as rural affairs, medical matters, sports, and entertainment, including a guide to local shows and music events. According to chairman Tony Rainbird, 3RTN is now providing “a mini local magazine in audio format on a weekly basis.”

So how does it work? “You can self-refer or, if you know someone who would benefit from this service, speak to them and then refer them”, says Mr Rainbird. “If you’re an internet user or have an Alexa smart speaker, then we can organise things very easily indeed as our recordings are available on our website and on other online platforms. If not, then we can supply a speaker unit and post out a USB/memory stick of our weekly recordings which can be returned using a special reusable pouch. It’s as simple as that. And, the good news is that the entire service is free!”

Mr Rainbird added, “We want our recordings to be as interesting as possible, so we welcome your feedback and suggestions. We are also interested in hearing from health professionals and leaders of support groups in the local area, as they will be instrumental in ensuring the word gets out to those who will benefit most from our service”.

For more information, contact Tony Rainbird on 07833 558005 or email him on chair3rtn@gmail.com.

Three Rivers Talking News is a registered charity, and all public-facing volunteers are DBS checked for your safety.

On Sunday, 23 November, BBC 2 broadcast a very interesting documentary called Seeing Into the Future, presented by the comedian Chris McCauseland who has been blind since the age of 20. (You might also know Chris as he was last year’s winner of Strictly Come Dancing.)

As a blind man, Chris has always valued the benefits of tech innovations such as the iPhone and voice-activated devices such as Alexa, which he regards as life changing.   In this programme, he travels to MIT in Boston and to Silicon Valley where he explores how innovations such as smart spectacles, driverless cars and AI enabled boots or “robot shoes” can transform his life.

It’s a fascinating programme, not just those of us who are visually impaired but for anyone who wants to become more independent or remain as independent as possible as we age.   Do check it out…you can click on this link which takes you directly to the programme on BBC iplayer, where you can also enable Audio Description.

On Thursday, 25th September 2025, the BBC1 morning tv programme, Morning Live with Gethin Jones, Helen Skelton and Michelle Ackery included an excellent piece featuring our colleagues at Mid Devon Talking Newspaper, who have just been nominated for the BBC Mike a Difference Community Award.  Huge congratulations to all the team in Devon and keep up the good work!  It is very heartening for us to hear of fellow Talking Newspapers being acknowledged in this way as it reminds us of the importance of our service to listeners and it inspires us to do better.

If  you would like to watch/listen to the piece, you can find it on BBC iplayer where it is listed under Morning Live Series 7: 25/09/2025.   Alternatively, you can click here to be taken to the BBC iplayer link to the programme.

NB: The excerpt about the Talking Newspaper, which lasts 7 minutes, starts about half an hour from the beginning of the programme.  So, if you want to go directly to it, just forward to 30 minutes into the programme, and the report about Mid Devon TN will follow shortly afterwards.

Suffolk Sight have teamed up with DANES to provide advice and support to build confidence and maintain independence.  The drop-in sessions will be held in DANES, 161 Rotterdam Road, Lowestoft, on the first Tuesday of every month.   The first one will be held on Tuesday August 13^th and thereafter, on 10 September, 08 October, 12 November and 10 December 2024.

For more information, call 01502 511 333.

Please note Saturday, June 8th at 1.45pm @ Bungay Community Centre in your diary now!

Once again, we invite all our volunteers, listeners and partner organisations to join us in a celebratory Afternoon Tea Party, preceded by a brief look back at Three Rivers TN’s achievements over the past year.   This is a great opportunity to formally thank our wonderful volunteers for the great work they do in bringing the local news to our listeners….all this over a cuppa and some delicious cakes.   And, of course, there’s always the chance of winning something special in the raffle….so do bring along some cash!

Formal invitations will be sent out to all concerned in the coming week.  If, for some reason, you haven’t received your invitation by Monday 20th May, please get in touch with Cecilia and she will sort things out.   Cecilia can be contacted on 07483 823 269 or on secretary@3rtn.org.uk

Our Annual Tea Party has now become a bit of a tradition, the first one having taken place in 2021, as a post-lockdown celebration of our return to “business as normal” and the move to our new premises at Bungay Community Centre.  Things have moved on since then, we have bigger and better plans for the future (hear more about this on Saturday June 8th) and we very much look forward to clinking a china cup with you on the day!

We are inviting you to join a new group – Succeeding with Sight Loss.

Our aim is to bring people together to share their successes and
identify challenges to be overcome.

At our first get together we hope to identify the focus for discussion at
future meetings. We will be joined on the first occasion by members
of Suffolk Sight.

We will meet at The Galley, Smallgate, Beccles NR34 9AD on
Wednesday, 27th March at 2 pm until 4 pm. This is close to the bus
station and to Tesco for parking. Refreshments will be available.

Our initial meeting will decide the frequency and dates of future
meetings.

If you would like to attend, please contact Terry Dentith by phone
01502 716590 or email terry.dentith@btinternet.com.

Succeeding with Sight Loss, where vision is not just what we see
but what we can achieve together.

IS YOUR HOME SAFE FROM FIRE?

The prevention team and fire fighters across Suffolk are dedicated to saving lives by working with the community, discussing fire safety and offering advice to eliminate or reduce the risk of fire occurring in the home. The best way to save a life is to prevent a fire in the first place and Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service can offer a free Home Fire Safety Check to all those eligible. Any resident within Suffolk can request one and they are free of charge.

• We will provide and install Free 10 year smoke alarms/carbon monoxide alarms if necessary
• Give Life Saving Advice in the event of a fire in your home
• How to make a fire escape plan for you and your family
• Practical Advice on identifying fire hazards in the home

To receive free Home Fire Safety Advice and to check your eligibility for a free Home Fire Safety Check

Call 01473 260 588 or email fire.businesssupport@suffolk.gov.uk