On this page we will be posting profiles of members of the committee and volunteers. This will help explain more about what we do and give some personal information about the Sound East team. We hope that you enjoy reading about us and find it interesting!
Sound East started production in April 1979. Donna joined Sound East in 2016 after answering an advert in the Lowestoft Journal appealing for volunteers. She says she was 'arm twisted' onto the committee a year later.
She has been Secretary for 6 years. At the AGM in December 2024, when Rodney Scase stood down, Donna was elected as "Chairman". She does registration and is a regular team reader, also taking on additional cover when other volunteers are unavailable. Donna also does the admin side of listener coordinator entering registry details, creating the postage labels, printing and laminating them ready for weekly distribution. She passes on the names, addresses and telephone details of potential new listeners, to Tim so he can visit them, provide them with a USB player, explain the process and demonstrate the equipment.
Donna is also a carer. She does a lot of other voluntary work in the community too.
Volunteers are always needed for the various jobs that have to be done, so if you are reading this perhaps give a thought to joining us. An application form is available to download from this website.
Jean is a newcomer to Sound East having
answered an advert in the Lowestoft Journal for a new Treasurer.
She had been looking to volunteer at a charity and this role sounded
just right as she had worked in accounting for many years.
She had also worked as a Chiropodist and Holistic Therapist and has visited
many clients who were visually impaired, so she has some understanding
of the daily challenges that blind and partially sighted people face.
The Treasurer's role at Sound East is mainly to pay the bills, bank any donations and deal with any accounting queries, record all income and expenditure, attend meetings and submit reports for meetings as well as for the end of year accounts.
Jean says she is also relatively new to Lowestoft having moved here six years ago with her husband David. She finds Lowestoft very interesting. She loves the sea front and is excited to see the new improvements being made to the town centre.
Jean has enjoyed getting to know the other members of the Sound East committee. Jackie Jolley, the outgoing Treasurer, has been very supportive and has helped her to understand the Treasurer's role.
Jean says she looks forward to meeting the rest of the volunteers soon.
At the age of 27 Tim started service as recordist with Sound East when they produced their very first production on Friday 20th April 1979. The Editor for that issue was Charles Cudmore. The other readers on that evening were John Doveton-Scott and John Easter. (Unfortunately, Evelyn Dunster was unable to read as originally planned, having suffered the onset of a cold). The Lowestoft Lions Club President, Mr. "Wally" Kelly read a suitable introduction.
At the first annual general committee meeting, held on 14th November that same year, Charles was elected as Chairman, John Doveton-Scott as Secretary, Mrs Treece as Treasurer and John Easter as Public Relations Officer. Tim was elected as "Technical Manager". Other Ordinary committee members elected at that same meeting were Iris Douce, Evelyn Dunster, Pat Turner, Mr. Stevenson, Chris Collis, Dolly Ling, Peter Greenfield and Anne Wilcox. Mr. Peter Platts and Mr. Wally Kelly were co-opted as committee members.
Volunteers have organised a number of events both to raise funds and to raise local awareness. As an example, In August 1980 Tim and his wife Maureen decorated their MG Midget sports car with balloons and added some graphics to represent an audio cassette player and entered the Lowestoft Carnival procession. Their 8 month old son, Ben, was also in the car. He has been a helper at Sound East on a number of occasions since then. He is now 45yrs old.
Tim has continued his voluntary work with Sound East for the last 45 or so years. Indeed, most of the "pioneers" of the organisation have either moved on or have now passed away! He still views himself as a relative youngster at 72 years old!