Hampshire and Isle of Wight reading charity for adults expands its service

Barry Boltman has been helped by Read Easy for a year and he said he struggled to read "important letters"

A charity that helps adults who find it difficult to read or spell is expanding its services in the south.

Read Easy, which was founded in 2011 and now has 56 people enrolled in Southampton, expanded its services to Ryde on the Isle of Wight in April.

It also hopes to reach Hampshire's New Milton and Lymington in the future.

The charity is free to access, staffed by volunteers, and said an estimated 2.4m adults in England find it hard to read.

The charity uses trained reading coaches to offer confidential, one-to-one coaching.

Karen Reilly, a mother from Southampton, uses the charity and she said she hid the fact that she was unable to read for many years.

Karen Reilly uses the charity and said she hid the fact that she was unable to read for many years

She said: "It impacted on my children's life because when you have to fill out forms for secondary school or college, I haven't been able to do it.

"On one instance my child missed out on going to school from play school because I didn't fill out the forms."

She also described what the reaction is like when she tells people she is unable to read: "You get a lot of stigma, a lot of bullying.

"[Read Easy has] made a huge difference. When I try and send a text or receive a text, I can actually understand it."

Barry Boltman, from Southampton, has been using the service for a year and he said he struggled to read "important letters" about his rent or from the council.

The charity now also has a team of volunteers in Ryde who are appealing for readers to not feel afraid to come forward for support.

Linda Gatland, from Read Easy, said: "There definitely is prejudice and of course the impact on their life is absolutely enormous and it's lifelong; reduced employment, reduced self-esteem, hiding the problem, worrying about how to just manage and get through everyday life.

"We're a vital service."