Guernsey dyslexia charity overwhelmed by support

Mike and Teresa O'Hara founded the centre in 1987 to offer specialist support for islanders affected by dyslexia.

A charity for children with dyslexia said it has been overwhelmed by the support received since its government subsidy was cut.

The States announced in March that the Dyslexia Day Centre's £200,000 grant would instead be "re-invested" so more children could receive literacy support in school.

Mike O'Hara, chairman of the charity, said it was a "total shock".

He said they had since had hundreds of messages from people.

Mr O'Hara told the BBC they had had a "hectic" few weeks and were now trying to work out a way forward.

He set up the centre in St Andrew's in 1987 with Teresa O'Hara to offer specialist tuition, assessments, support and advice to islanders affected by dyslexia.

It has eight teachers supporting about 150 children each year.

'Inundated'

Mr O'Hara said: "The nice part about this is the fact that we've been, I'll use the word inundated, and that's not any exaggeration.

He said hundreds of people had contacted them reacting to the news.

"We've got a wonderful committee, they're all going to work hard and we're going to try to hopefully pull it round, but you know that's a big lump. It's 70, 80% of our revenue."

He added: "There's lots of good ideas coming through, but as I say we've got to raise something like £100,000 to £150,000 by Christmas and that's a big ask for anyone."

The States said in March a transition period meant children could continue to receive support from the centre until December 2023.

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