‘Talking Middy’ is launched – meet the volunteers reading our stories to the vulnerable during coronavirus crisis

Spearheading the ‘Talking Middy’ initiative is Glynis and Peter Hargreaves from Lindfield.

Glynis, 67, said: “As readers with recording equipment at home, we’ve undertaken to produce ‘Talking Middy’ weekly throughout the crisis with help from some other volunteers.

“Our target audience is vulnerable people who are shielding from coronavirus either at home or in care homes, blind listeners and people who may have difficulty reading.

“We would love it if readers who are supporting blind people could download our recordings onto a memory stick and deliver them to the blind person so they can play the recording on their MP3 players.”

Glynis said the idea stemmed from memories of her father, who tragically died on March 23, the evening the government announced the lockdown. He was due to celebrate his 97th birthday just a few days later.

Her father, George, was almost blind and enjoyed listening to talking books and newspapers.

“He was severely sighted and when he died he was living in a care home,” commented Glynis.

“He had been the most incredibly active person – he was a brilliant person.

“If dad was still around he would be going crazy not being able to go out during lockdown.

“From our point of view, this is good for mental health. It is about giving them something to help their mental wellbeing. It is quite scary for them at the moment.”

Glynis said residents of Westhall House in Horsted Keynes, where her father was, are already listening to ‘Talking Middy’, and another couple of care homes, but the couple hope to reach many more people.

“People can hear how many people are volunteering during the pandemic,” added Glynis.

“It is nice to share the positive Middy stories – all the things that are happening.”

Anyone who would like to access Glynis and Peter’s recordings can contact them on [email protected] and ask for a link. This can then be put on a memory stick and delivered to someone in need.