Read Easy Medway

Our goal is for all adults in the UK to have the literacy skills they need to fulfil their potential and live life to the full.   To transform the lives of adults who struggle with reading, we harness the initiative, energy, skills and experience of dedicated volunteers.  There are 2.4 million adults in England alone – over 5% of the working age population – who can barely read or cannot read at all. Our trained volunteer Reading Coaches provide free, confidential, one-to-one coaching to adults who want to learn to read.  Established in 2011, we are growing sustainably in communities across England before expanding into the rest of the UK in the coming years. Our priority is to establish new groups in larger conurbations where there is evidence of high numbers of adults with low literacy.  There are around 80 Read Easy groups in England with 1,400 volunteers leading the groups and delivering reading coaching. When someone contacts or is referred to Read Easy, they are choosing to learn the skill they need to change their life. We seek to understand Readers’ present abilities and seek to release that potential by giving them another go at learning to read through an accessible, community-based approach. Improving their reading skills has a hugely positive impact on the individual, their loved ones, their community and society as a whole.  Read Easy UK, which is based in Gloucestershire, is registered as a Community Interest Organisation with the Charity Commission. We are the umbrella body which supports volunteers to set up Read Easy groups in their communities.