Isobel Williams-Ellis
Giving Adults the Gift of Reading
Fundraising for Read Easy UK
Story
Hello! I am going to be running the Hackney Half Marathon in May in support of my Mum's charity Read Easy UK along with some great pals (Tom, Phoebe, Delia, Angus, Alexi, Niko & Nick).
Mum set Read Easy up nearly 10 years ago, having worked as a literacy tutor at Dorchester Prison where she ran a prisoner-to-prisoner reading programme. During this time she became very conscious of the urgent need for a similar scheme in the wider community.
It is hard to imagine what not being able to read feels like but some of the difficulties described by those who come to Read Easy for help have included not being able to read the ingredients of food at supermarkets to check for allergens, or being able to read bedtime stories to their children, or even having the confidence to travel on the bus as they were unable to read the stops. This is not to mention the difficulties in working environments and the effects this has on employment opportunities and all-round general confidence.
Read Easy works by organising 1-to-1 volunteer mentoring to help adults to learn to read. The charity is continuing to grow with groups across the country and lots & lots of adults from all walks of life learning to read. It's really wonderful to hear about the positive impact it is having.
I have to say, I am completely in awe of what Mum, the brilliant Read Easy team and wonderful volunteers (including Alice, Serena and Millie) are doing to change people's lives for the better.
If you would like to read some of the stories, or even if you are interested in getting involved, please do have a look on the Read Easy website https://readeasy.org.uk/testimonials and if you feel like donating I would be so grateful and you can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/isobel-williams-ellis
Thank you so much!
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Our vision is for all adults in the UK to have the literacy skills they need to realise their potential and live life to the full. Our mission is to provide adults who want to improve their reading with confidential, free, one-to-one coaching to help them gain the skills they need to live life to the full. Read Easy is the only organisation in the country which provides a national, volunteer-led, one-to-one reading coaching programme for adults.Read Easy provides free, confidential, one-to-one reading coaching to adults in the UK who either can't read or who struggle to read. Our volunteer reading coaches are given full training by Read Easy UK and they provide their coaching to readers through our 27 locally-run, affiliated volunteer groups.
