Luke Howarth, TNF’s External Partnerships trustee writes: “As a qualified Eye Clinic Liaison Officer, it has never been more apparent to me that TNs are the best kept secret within the print disabled world. It is therefore my mission to raise the profile of TNs, and where better to start than with our largest readership – those who are visually impaired. My experience, from working in many roles in the sight loss sector, has shown me that we achieve more – and support people better – when we all work together.
Since I started working with TNF in 2023 I have worked closely with June Little, TNF’s Internal Partnerships Trustee June Little, and I am pleased to showcase some of TNF’s successes to date:
Roadshows
So far we have run four ‘Working in Partnership’ roadshows for TN volunteers, with delegates travelling many miles to join us at our roadshow venues in Cheltenham, Norfolk, Preston and Falkirk. We also ran a specialist technical roadshow for volunteer sound engineers. Next year’s roadshows will visit Birmingham and the South Coast, so look out for more information and booking details.
Winter Workshops
Winter 2023-24 saw June and I hosting four online workshops. We have been delighted by the success, with each event attracting 40-50 attendees. Feedback has been very positive, but don’t worry if you missed out – the workshops are available to watch in the member area of the TNF website. Topics available include:
- The VI World (from December 2023)
- Recruiting Volunteers & Finding Listeners (February 2024)
- Describing Pictures (March 2024)
- Vocal Presentation & Tips (April 2024)
The sessions were a delight to facilitate and I want to thank all our speakers, especially Serena, Julie and Holly who gave up their time to share their expertise. Thanks also go to IT wizard Gavin who made the online sessions possible.
National Conference
Post Covid, numbers at the national conference are growing again and it was a pleasure to be part of the 2023 conference. Feedback shows that the clinics/seminars were particularly well received. This format allows TNs with more than one delegate to cover different topics at the same time. We’ll be following a similar format at the 2024 National Conference, so book now to secure your places for 20-22 September in Coventry and take back the best practice to your own TN.
Social Media
Whether we like it or not, social media has become a part of everyday living for most in the UK. Some TNs are reluctant because they don’t have the resources to post information regularly. However, my advice is that all TNs should have a presence on the main platforms of social media even if they can’t commit to posting material every day or every week.
TNF has Linkedin and Facebook pages to promote what it is doing, so why not think about linking to those to help raise the profile of your TN? A Social Media presence can attract listeners, readers, volunteers and even donations. TNF has recently recruited a new volunteer to manage our social media posts so we hope to be able to offer more information relevant to our members.
Finding new listeners
Many TNF members tell us that their listeners have declined over recent years. A great way to increase the number of people referred to you is to get to knowing your local ECLOs and VRSs. An ECLO is an Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (often based in hospitals) and a VRS is a Vision Rehabilitation Specialist (previously known as ROVIs, these are professionals supplied by the council or local sight loss organisation). Find the email address for each of these locally and make contact to ask that they refer their patients to you as potential listeners.
National Partnerships
TNF is now formally a partner of Visionary, the national organisation that supports local sight loss charities. This means that TNF can now send delegates to Visionary’s AGM and events to network with others in the sight loss world and raise the profile of TNs.
Every year the RNIB hosts awards for those who have made outstanding contributions to the lives of the visually impaired. TNF’s June Little was nominated as volunteer of the year in 2024, for her dual role as Chair of the Cotswold Listener and as a TNF Trustee. I attended the awards ceremony with June where, although she didn’t win, networking with other guests helped raise the profile of TNs.
New website
Until recently TNF’s website was not very easy to navigate as a VI person. But now, after an overhaul, it is more accessible and your local TN information is easily readable by anyone searching for their local TN. If you’ve not checked it out yet, please visit tnf.org.uk and do check that your TN contact details are correct!