Paul and Barbara

Blind DJ Paul and his mum Barbara both received a Sonata plus+ set from BWBF and say it has made a real difference to them.

Paul and Barbara Johnson, from Swansea, were given the radios thanks to the grant we got from the Freemasons’ Grand Charity.

Paul, 39, has been completely blind since birth and presents the Weekday Live show on Radio Tircoed.

He says he felt like he’d won the lottery when he was given his set.

“I’ve always had an interest in radio and music,” he said.

“I got into hospital radio first and then went onto community radio.

“The Sonata has been very good and has made a real difference – it means I don’t have to leave the computer on overnight and can listen to the radio in bed.”

The radios have a text to speech engine, which means they can read web pages to the user as well as allowing them to access audio books, talking newspapers, podcasts and a wealth of internet radio stations.

Barbara says she was “lost for words” as it’s so wonderful to be able to listen to her son presenting his show, and joked that she’s always telling him he talks too quickly when he’s on the radio.

She said: “I never thought I would go back to listening to the radio – I used to just listen to the television but I’m really enjoying it.”