Erewash Mayor, Councillor Robert Parkinson, has praised the ‘valuable and extremely important’ role carried out by Ilkeston Talking Newspaper for the Blind.

Councillor Parkinson is patron of the charity and chaired the Annual General Meeting of the group held at Ilkeston Town Hall recently.

“It gave me an opportunity to meet those involved and to emphasise the good work they do for the visually handicapped in our borough,” said Councillor Parkinson. “They make a real difference to the lives of many people and it is a service which would be very much missed if it didn’t exist.

“I was honoured to chair the meeting and I look forward to continuing to offer my support during the coming year.”