Having been involved in supporting education for many years - through children's and youth work, as an ongoing Chair of School Governors with a large secondary school & significantly through the eyes of my wife, a primary school specialist - I have seen, heard and felt the challenges that pupils, parents and the professionals that support them have when seeking to deal with dyslexia and neuro divergence. Learning and progression become high walls to climb; battlegrounds to survive & very scary if the dyslexia remains undiagnosed or misunderstood. For those with the condition, school days can feel insurmountable & leave many scars that if not addressed, limit further education, work or later life opportunities

Specialist education support for dyslexia is not funded by the local authorities and resources to carry out diagnosis are limited & very often hard to secure. Whilst schools generally do a great job in delivery broad-based education, they are simply not resourced or trained to be equipped to deal with dyslexia or when brains are wired differently.

I'm running to bring attention to the great work that Helen Arkell do and get you to think about what helped you learn & who helped you overcome barrier that you faced.

The Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity leads the way in providing specialist support to children, young people and adults with dyslexia and other Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs). Their mission is to help people: 1. Believe in themselves 2. Achieve their goals and 3. Succeed on their own terms. There is no government funding for dyslexia, despite its lifelong impact. Fundraising is vital to ensure in-depth assessment and tuition is available to anyone with dyslexia, including lower income families and schools in disadvantaged areas. Thank you.