New reading project launched in county

Read Easy is a national charity and a new south Shropshire group has just opened.

It aims to bring the joy of reading to people over the age of 18 who, through no fault of their own, have slipped through the cracks and never learned the skill.

Covering Church Stretton to Ludlow and across the Knighton, the aim of the group of volunteers is to teach as many people to read as they can.

Steve Gibbon, spokesman for the group, said: "This group is not just from Shropshire or for Powys. It is for everyone in the local community.

"All the coaching takes place in the local towns. Since we started we have had a number of people come forward and offer us space for coaching in private. This takes place twice a week. It is all going very well and we have recruited a new batch of coaches and we are now trying to reach as many people as we can."

The group formed in January. Steve said: "We have hit the ground running. People are referred to us, whether by a friend or family member who knows they struggle reading or by a district nurse, housing association or Citizen's Advice Bureau. They then go through a informal assessment before being paired up with a coach. Anyone over the age of 18 is welcome but Read Easy UK has got people as old as 80.

"We target people with a different level of skills. Some people will be able to recognise words but they may not understand how those words are constructed. Some may be able to recognise phrases or we may have people who just can't read at all.

"Not being able to read means that they are unlikely to vote, unlikely to take part in social activities, unlikely to do anything other than menial work and more likely to be unemployed and suffer from depression or long term sickness.

"People are unable to read for all sorts of reasons, particularly in a rural area. They may have missed school because they became the carer or they had to work on the farm. They may never have returned to school or they may have just got left behind.

"We know that people who have difficulty reading have learned to get by and they can do it very successfully. I spoke to a farmer's wife and she relied on her daughters for help. But she was determined to do something about it. We support people we do not judge. Reading can be such a joy. "

Steve says it could take six months for a person to learn to read, however, Read Easy do not set a time limit and they offer their service to each individual for as long as they need it.

To find out more about Read Easy go to readeasy.org.uk