Milton Keynes Reader Service

A huge thank you to Milton Keynes Community Foundation for  a recent grant which has enabled us to arrange for 10 of our members – 5 Service Users and 5 Volunteers to attend Milton Keynes Theatre.  On Saturday, April 21st 2018, our happy little band attended a Touch Tour and Audio Described Performance of Northern Ballet’s The Little Mermaid.  They met the dancers, joined in a workshop and were told the story of the ballet before being allowed to feel the costumes.  The grant even enabled us to provide an interval ice-cream.

We have received some very heart-warming feedback:

“I am so grateful for such a wonderful afternoon from beginning to end……..It was quite emotional and I cried with happiness”;

“Great northern hospitality from the Northern Ballet.  Such a lovely afternoon; I wouldn’t have missed it for the world”;

“An experience that will stay with me for ever.  I have kept the programme as a souvenir.  I can’t explain how much I enjoyed it”!

Hopefully, some photos will be available shortly.  A huge thank you to Milton Keynes Theatre and the Northern Ballet Company for this wonderful opportunity.

Milton Keynes Reader Service Privacy Policy

 At Milton Keynes Reader Service we are committed to protecting your privacy. We protect any personal information you give us.

This policy is written in accordance with the current Data Protection Act in force. If you have any questions about it, please contact our Data Protection Officer using the following details:

Milton Keynes Reader Service,

First Floor, Margaret Powell House

403 Midsummer Boulevard,

Milton Keynes MK9 3BN

Email: mkreaderservice@yahoo.co.uk

Personal information

Personal information is information that can be used to identify you. It can include your name, date of birth, email address, postal address and telephone number.
We must ensure that the data we hold is accurate, adequate, relevant and not excessive.

Normally the only information we hold about you comes directly from you. Whenever we collect information from you, we will make it clear which information is required in order to provide you with the information or services you may require. You do not have to provide us with any additional information unless you choose to. We store your information securely on our computer system, we restrict access to those who need to know and we train our staff in handling the information securely

How do we use your information?

We use your personal information to give you the information about the services we offer and that you ask for.

We will also use your information for administrative purposes, to let you know about changes and, if you agree, as part of our fundraising activities.

We will only use your personal details in relation to your request to use the services of Milton Keynes Reader Service.  Milton Keynes Reader Service is a charitable organisation Registered Charity No 1169548.  We will not pass your information on to other third parties, unless we have your consent and you ask us to do so.

Milton Keynes Reader Service is responsible for collecting your personal information. Your personal information is not shared with third parties or used in any other way (other than as described in this policy or as required by law) unless you agree.

We will store records of the assistance we have given you, but will only use this to provide a history of the support you received in the past from our staff or volunteers.

Newsletters and Updates

Milton Keynes Reader Service produces newsletters that outlines our services and activities, and includes useful organisations and resources.  We also, occasionally, produce updates that we send to specific parts of our local area because we are running an event or some other activity there.

If you would prefer not to receive any information from us, please let us know and we will update our database accordingly.

Accessing and updating your personal information held by Milton Keynes Reader Service

Please help us to keep your information up to date by letting us know of any changes.

You have the right to a copy of all the information we hold about you. To obtain a copy, please write to the Data Protection Officer at:

Milton Keynes Reader Service

First Floor, Margaret Powell House

403 Midsummer Boulevard,

Milton Keynes

MK9 3BN

Tel: 01908 231123

Email: mkreaderservice@yahoo.co.uk

Changes to this policy

We may change our Privacy Policy from time to time, copies of which will be made available upon request.

30 Years of the Reader Service!

As you are probably aware by now, the Milton Keynes Reader Service is celebrating 30 years of helping visually impaired and other disabled people in the Milton Keynes area. The service was originally set up by a group of visually impaired people, headed by Liz Roe in 1988.  In 1992 it became an independent charity offering free services to any adult living in Milton Keynes who finds reading or writing difficult due to physical or visual disabilities.

We kicked off our celebration year with the New Year Coffee Morning, at which it was lovely to see so many of you.

We continued with the “eggciting” entry of our team into the television quiz show Eggheads.  Our plucky group travelled up to Glasgow in January.  An edited version of Terry Calvert’s description of their antics is as follows:

“Paula Suchy, Stephen Harrison, Geoff Bashton, Nana Frempong, Alison Statham and Terry Calvert made up the team.

The wardrobe staff selected the outfits they wanted us to wear and the team was sent to makeup. The ladies required very little assistance, but Jeff did insist on his favourite brands of foundation and moisturiser!

Then it was off to the studio. It takes about two hours in all but everyone agreed that the time flew by. Jeremy Vine and the Eggheads team were a pleasure to meet.

An added bonus on the trip was that we discovered deep fried Mars bars really are available in Glasgow chip shops. Stephen also discovered that his favourite tipple, Irn Bru, is now available in a diet version!”

The full version of Terry’s report is on the website.

Diary Dates:

As we continue to celebrate through the year we have secured a fabulous new venue at The Oak Tree Centre in Shenley Brook End.  Please make a note of the following diary dates and join us whenever you are able:

Wednesday, 2nd May – Volunteers Support Meeting

7.00pm – 9.00pm

We intend to make it a fun evening, celebrating our roots in 1988 with a trivia quiz for that year;

Friday, 22 June – Quiz Night, 7.00pm – 10.30pm

Paula and Stefan will hold one their popular quiz nights. There will be a raffle and some fun activities during the interval;

Saturday, 28 July – AGM , 10.00am – noon

Tea, coffee and cake after the official bit..;

Autumn – Eggheads Team on TV

The date of airing has yet to be confirmed.  We will keep you posted;

Saturday, 13 October –Tea Party, 2.00pm – 4.00pm

For all friends of the Reader Service past and present – to celebrate everyone involved over 30 years!

 Friday, 30 November – Cabaret! 2.00pm – 4.00pm

Those of you who were present for last year’s inaugural show will remember what a fabulously entertaining afternoon we had.  Anyone wishing to showcase their talents this year is most welcome to put themselves forward.

We are considering a number of other activities to enhance our profile and celebrate this milestone anniversary, so please keep checking the website, emails and Sound News for updates.  Meanwhile, we look forward to seeing you at one or more of the events mentioned here.

The Reader Service was represented by Stephen Harrison, Jeff Bashton, Malcolm and Terry Calvert at Milton Keynes Community Foundation’s Charity Car Raffle Draw on Sunday 25 February.

 Reader Service sold almost 1,000 tickets out of a total of around 22,000 and we will receive a proportion of the ticket sales. The draw, which was attended by the local community groups which volunteered to sell the tickets, took place at Planet Ice during the MK Lightning’s ice hockey match with Coventry Blaze.

The winning ticket was sold by the Friends of Willen Hospice.

We were fortunate that Malcolm, who has spent many years in hockey mad Canada, was with us to explain some of the finer points of the game, though this did not have to cover the tactic of punching your opponent’s lights out, which we grasped quite quickly. Sadly, Lightning could not complete the success of the evening, going down 8-5.

Terry Calvert, March 2018