Read Easy Salford are looking for volunteers to start a new group that teaches adults how to read.
The charity is hosting an information evening on Tuesday February 27 at Eccles Library and Gateway, M30 0TU.
According to a report, 9 per cent of Salford adults can’t read. That is just under around 20’000 people. On a wider scale The National Literacy Trust states that 16.4 per cent of adults in England are described as having “very poor literacy skills.”
With the help of Read Easy, there are hopes that this percentage will decrease in Salford.
Read Easy is a national charity that was created with the goal to support adults who struggle to read and give them the reading skills they need to live life to the fullest.
Founded in 2010 by Ginny Williams-Ellis, they have been operating in small regional groups throughout England and Wales. Read Easy is now coming to Salford.
Issy Ormandy the Salford Pioneer of the Read Easy said: “We have one in Manchester already, Manchester Central and North as well as Manchester South and West.
“But it was highlighted recently that Salford has its own need for a group like this. So, I came on board last April and have since then been trying to start up the group.”
Read Easy will train volunteers, giving them the skills to become qualified reading coaches.
“We have a system of reading books and reading material that we use that helps adults learn to read in a specific way which we find works really well,” Issy said.
They then partner reading coaches with a single reader and the pair will meet twice a week for however long they like.
“Readers come onto the group for different reasons. We have had people who just want to learn how to read a speech they have written or how to read their house bills. So we will work with them and then they can drop out whenever they feel they have reached their goals.”
Issy explains: “Our motto is private space in a public place.”
The one to one sessions are held in public spaces such as a library, in an attempt to make the learning as comfortable as possible.
Speaking about the percentage of the Salford population who are unable to read, Issy said: “it shocked me, because I just didn’t realise.”
“When you come from a background of good education and things like that you just don’t think about it. There are people who are working and living who are just getting by.
“When we realised the level of need there is it was kind of obvious that we needed to set up a group here. Salford is a little bit out of the way so we needed our own set of people in this community who wants to give back.”
If interested in volunteering or to simply just discuss Read Easy further contact, salfordpioneer@readeasy.org.uk
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