New face-to-face sessions to boost adult literacy

Read Easy UK provide sessions for adults looking to improve their literacy

A charity that offers free reading lessons to adults has expanded its services into a large town.

Read Easy UK, which aims to improve adult literacy, has now expanded its offer of one-to-one reading courses into Reading.

One in six adults in England have poor or no reading skills, according to the National Literacy Trust.

Read Easy West Berkshire, which is part of the nationwide group, was established in 2023 and has helped with the formation of the new group in Reading.

Elaine Brichard, one of the West Berkshire group coordinators, said: “It’s key that the face-to-face coaching sessions are delivered locally, making it as easy as possible for both the coach and the reader to attend.

"That way we maximize the chance of successful course completion.”

'Friendly and welcoming'

The groups are funded by donations from local organisations, as well as some grant funding.

Dedicated coaches from the charity run the confidential one-to-one sessions in private spaces within public places so that people "feel encouraged to come forward and ask for help".

Read Easy West Berkshire’s team leader Mark Ingvorsen helped establish the new group in Reading.

He said there were lots of different reasons why people did not learn to read when they were children.

He said: "For some it may have been a lack of support from their own family or school, for others it may have been undiagnosed dyslexia.

"People should not feel ashamed or embarrassed about it. We are friendly, welcoming, and here to help them."

Reading had previously not been covered by a local branch of Read Easy, with a new group in Swindon also created.