Read Easy are helping the one in six
AN organisation which helped TV personality Jay Blades (pictured), learn to read is expanding its service to help more people across Staffordshire.
The 51-year-old host of the popular BBC Repair Shop programme has recently bared his soul to the nation as part of a campaign to help adults in the same situation as himself.
He came forward to receive help from a Read Easy coach after admitting he could not read.
And his journey was chronicled in the prime time TV BBC show, Learning to Read at 51, where he revealed he was dyslexic.
In a brave move, Jay was helped to finally get to grips with the written word by Emma, a volunteer coach trained by the charity.
The programme witnessed the delight on both of their faces as Jay experienced some ‘light bulb’ moments with letters coming together for him to form words and sentences for the first time.
Read Easy North Staffs is a fully affiliated member of the Read Easy UK group and they are now seeking to fill a vital volunteer role to help expand the service.
Management Team member Sue Bell said: “It is estimated that one in six adults in North Staffordshire struggle with reading.
“Since forming in March last year, we have made a good start at helping them. We have recruited and trained our first cohort of volunteer reading coaches and successfully started matching them up with potential readers. “The sessions are run on a oneto-one basis in local venues as this tends to suit our readers best. “We are now expanding our service and looking for a second voluntary coordinator to support the process. This is a vital role, bringing together readers and coaches and offering support along the way to help them stay on track. “We are looking for someone with great people skills, who is good at organising and is proficient in basic IT. Experience of teaching reading is not essential.”
Further information about becoming a coordinator can be requested from Sue at nspublicity@readeasy.org.uk, or Read Easy North Staffs on Facebook and Twitter.