When John Weller was first approached by the late Lord and Lady Whitfield of Manor Farm, Roche, together with the Rev Bryon Jones, vicar of Camrose back in 1975, little did he think that their idea would provide countless people throughout the county with local news on a weekly basis.

But almost 50 years on, the Pembrokeshire Talking Newspaper has become an essential means by which thousands of people with vision impairment have been able to learn of the events of their local area thanks to John and his team of volunteers who record the latest news stories that are published each week by the Western Telegraph.

Now, after masterminding the project for almost 50 years, John Weller, MBE, feels it’s time to draw the line under his final story.

“I shall be 89 in January, so I think it’s time that I stepped down and gave somebody else the chance to edit the Pembrokeshire Talking Newspaper,” he said.

In the early days, back in 1975, John, Lady Whitfield and the Rev Jones would record Pembrokeshire’s pick of the week in each other’s houses. But as time went on, their ever-expanding equipment meant they had to find a more permanent base.

“So for the next 25 years we operated from Haverfordia House in Winch Lane,” he said.

“In those days we had four tape decks that were able to record 11 copies at a time but sadly in 2018, the building closed down and we had to find an alternative office.”

When former Western Telegraph editor Steve Adams learned of their plight, he offered the Pembrokeshire Talking Newspaper a room in the newspaper’s current offices on the Fishguard Road, but sadly this came to an end in 2021.

“This was when we moved to Victoria Hall in Roche which is where we’ve remained ever since,” said John. “I edit the newspaper, selecting community-based stories that I think our listeners will enjoy, and then we record every Wednesday afternoon between 1pm and 3pm.”

The recorded stories can then be heard online.

John is now keen to hear from anyone who may be able to take over as editor as well as treasurer of the charitable trust.

If anyone is interested in finding out more about the Pembrokeshire Talking Newspaper or would like to volunteer as a reader, they should contact John on 01437 710249.