Trustees - Marilyn Clenaghan
Let me introduce you to the novice in the field!
My name is Marilyn Clenaghan and I have the lucky distinction of being an identical twin. Yvonne and I were born prematurely over 23 and 24 October making Yvonne Libran and myself Scorpion. Both of us were given too much oxygen in an incubator thus causing our blindness.
I was born in the North Middlesex Hospital ( Edmonton ) and spent most of my childhood in Harlow, Essex . I attended school at Dorton House School for the Blind, firstly near Aylesbury and three years later our school moved premises to Sevenoaks in Kent . The name of Dorton House was transferred to the school in Kent . From there, I went to Hethersett which was a vocational guidance centre in Reigate , Surrey . I then attended the then Royal Normal College at Rowton Castle , Shrewsbury where my studies became an abysmal failure. I integrated myself into a local technical college in Harlow, Essex where I faired well with my sighted peers.
To begin with, employment was a struggle but after what seemed like climbing Everest, a good friend helped me to draft a letter to the Civil Service Commission and from there, I never looked back. With no typing qualification to my name, I took my Civil Service Entrance Grading (this was a test which proved my speed, accuracy and comprehension using a manual typewriter). My! Haven't I moved on with the help of technology ha ha!
I commenced my Civil Service duties with the Department of Employment & Productivity on 26 January 1969 , as an Audio Typist armed with Braille shorthand machine, Grundig Stenorette Audio Transcriber and a manual typewriter (Imperial 66).
During my working life, I carried out typing duties for Industrial Relations, Legal Advisers, Health & Safety and Benefit Fraud. My career in the Civil Services spanned over a period of 35 years and for the last 8 years or so, I moved to the Department of Education and Skills where I transcribed letters which came from the public to David Blunkett. I also used to transcribe David Blunkett's answer phone messages and replies to the Braille letters sent to him by the members of the public. David Blunkett was no stranger to me, as I vaguely knew him when studying at Rowton Castle . Another area of work I covered for him was the transcription of Conference Notes and these were either dialogue and/or ordinary speeches. David, though a hard liner, was extremely appreciative of my expertise and work and made reference to this many times when attending one of his drinks and nibbles occasions.
The real me is completely different: I am happily married to Andrew, a Middlesbrough lad whom I met through a mutual friend whilst on a training course. Andrew and I have been together for nearly 8 years.
Since retiring from the Civil Service, I have fulfilled a lifelong ambition to become a Samaritan as I always believe in the listening ear possibly saving a life. In my free time, I enjoy Wildlife Sound Recording. I am a member of the Wildlife Sound Recording Society and have actively taken part on several field trips around the country recording various bird and mammal sounds using state of the art audio equipment - i.e., beginning with cassette and progressing to minidisk player. I am still a member of a group of Visually Impaired/Blind horse racing enthusiasts who frequently visit racecourses. Since knowing my Andrew, I got to meet my favourite jockey, Andrew Thornton who was born and bred in Stockton . My Andrew has taken me to Wetherby, Thirsk and Redcar and I place my bets on most Saturdays.
To sum up, I hope I can bring my particular skills and tastes to BlindVoice UK and thank you for having the time to read this thumbnail sketch of me.
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