A  CHRONOLOGY 
 
 

The Rockvale Rebound is a Tape service specifically for visually impaired people resident within the Strathleven Area.  It was initiated as a concept of an idea by Bobby Simpson, himself totally blind. 
 
 

Bobby set about finding out what would be required to set up such a facility in August of 1980 and in the process of doing so, was able to enlist the help of local journalists and staff of the community education centre. 
 
 

The main difficulties were finding out the most suitable type of machinery, such as recorders, microphones, tapes and even premises which would be required.  It was also evident that getting to know where the people who would benefit from such a service was not going to be easy. 
 
 

Towards the end of the year, a small band of willing volunteers had been formed and by April of 1981 the group were confident enough to arrange an inaugural meeting.  This was attended by some 40 people, all of whom signed up to help the project along. 
 
 

After extremely diligent work the first edition was produced on the 28^th of May and sent out to 43 people in the district.  This was the first of several digests of the local news and it was soon apparent that changes would have to be made.  Within one year the frequency of the service had been increased to a fortnightly one, which doubled the amount of news available to the members. 
 
 

In 1985, a magazine style tape was introduced which allowed for even more news on the news tape editions and also allowed for a wider spectrum of information to be made available.  Some years later, in 1991, the service moved on to a weekly one and within a couple of months even that was altered to ensure that the news was then current rather than one week retrospective.  The next alteration was the introduction of a second magazine style tape which increased even more the types of information and so the loop was completed. 
 
 

The organisation is funded by grant aid systems as well as specially arranged local fund raising events.  Some of the funding is set aside to provide for three functions which are held each year in order to cement the links between operating and listening members.  The number of those members has now decreased somewhat from around 160 to about 80 per cent of that.  There are two main reasons for this, one being the amazing advances being made in medical science with fewer people suffering sight loss on a yearly basis, and the other being the closure of no less than three major residential homes which were able to utilise the tapes in a therapeutical manner.  Rockvale Rebound still retains a great degree of popularity. 
 
 

The Rockvale Rebound is a fully constituted organisation and is registered as a charitable organisation with OSCR, which is the Office of Scottish Charity Regulators and which took over from Her Majesty’s Inland Revenue a few years ago.  Our Charity number is SCO 16017. 
 
 

The organisation flourished and operates from premises which have been refurbished to suit all the needs of a present day talking newspaper.

It is somewhat unique in that, as well as making use of the free postal service, the organisation appreciates the services of a team of volunteers who physically deliver tapes to those members who wish to avail themselves of such a service, thereby, maintaining a social contact, a facility which no other talking newspaper offers.

      In 2005 the organisation hauled itself into the twenty first century by setting up its own website with the help of its Secretary’s son, who is an expert in this field.  It was modified two years later and  managed by Mr. Philip Black who is also extremely adept at this kind of work.  When it was time for Phillip to move on, a vacancy for website manager became available and the site is now managed brilliantly by Claire Muir who updates the site on a regular basis. 

 

      In 2004, Bobby was awarded the M.B.E. for  his  services to Talking Newspapers, not  only in Strathleven, but throughout Scotland, a  fact of which everyone involved in the organisation is  immensely proud.