As the nights draw in and we all hunker down, one charity quietly carries on. Read Easy – one of Britain’s leading adult literacy charities – never stops. Jonathan Douglas, CEO of the National Literacy Trust, recently said: ‘Never have charities like Read Easy been needed more.’
He’s not wrong. For decades, successive governments have known that poor literacy carries a high price. The Adult Literacy Trust now estimates it costs the UK economy more than £40 billion every year. A third of businesses say school-leavers’ literacy is not up to scratch – and poor reading skills are affecting productivity. The numbers speak for themselves. According to the National Literacy Trust (2024), one in six adults in England – that’s 18 per cent – struggle to read. And it’s not just about confidence. Pro Bono Economics research shows that 4 million adults could earn up to £1,500 more each year if they improved their reading skills.
Poor literacy means fewer opportunities. Adults who struggle to read are five times more likely to be unemployed, and four times more likely to remain long-term unemployed. If they are in work, it’s often in low-paid, low-skill jobs. That impacts not just the individual, but society – with higher welfare costs, reduced spending power, and fewer people able to respond to change or innovation at work. Employers report more errors, difficulty interpreting written instructions, and costly in-house training. Yet many still don’t know that Read Easy exists.
Help us find them
Read Easy has been providing free, confidential, one-to-one reading coaching for more than 15 years. There are nearly 90 groups across England, including four in Dorset: Blackmore Vale North, South Dorset, Bridport and Poole & Bournemouth.
They welcome any adult who wants to learn – no matter their background, no matter how long ago school was. The team knows how daunting that first step is, and they do everything they possibly can to make it easy.
‘Please help us find these folk,’ asks Lydia Everitt of the Blackmore Vale North group. ‘Give them our phone number or refer them to us with a phone call. Tell them we’ll call them if they prefer.
‘The bravery of that first step is always remarkable, and we commend them all. If you know someone who finds reading really hard, someone who never quite ’got it’ at school, help them to come to us and we can help. Our number is 07748 981935.’
And she says if you want to help, now’s the time. All four Dorset groups need volunteers – especially to help with publicity and social media.
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