A dad from Tadley who learned to read at the age 47 with the help of a Basingstoke charity says he is feeling “brilliant to make a big difference in his life”.

Paul Anderson, who works in maintenance for a coffee manufacturer, contacted Read Easy in Basingstoke in February 2021 after searching for years to find an organisation to help him learn to read.

Six months since joining the course, he is now working with his Read Easy coach Chris Dearden to pass his English GCSE.

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“It makes a big difference to my life – even just to go shopping and not ask somebody for help,” Paul said.

“The coaching is going really well – I can read and understand a lot more already. Reaching out is the toughest part of the process – admitting that you can’t read and that you need help. It’s hard facing up to the problem if you’ve hidden from it all your life. You have to want the help, but once you’ve made that jump it’s the best thing you’ll ever do.”

Covid was a big turning point in Paul life, putting his life in to sharp focus and making him think about what he wanted to change.

His daughter had recently started secondary school and he really wanted to be able to read her school reports without relying on others.

“If I could do this for myself, it shows my daughter that you can do anything in life if you try,” Paul said.

His difficulty in learning started at school. He was moved to the back of the class as he was struggling and didn’t receive any support to improve his reading.

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The next step was to transfer him to a special school, which Paul thinks could have been avoided.

“If I had been given the help I have now when I was in school, I would have been OK. I wasn’t very good at reading, and they didn’t have the time to help me.”

Once in special education, Paul didn’t follow the mainstream curriculum, focusing instead on vocational skills like computer skills, mechanics and cooking. Reading and writing weren’t prioritised and so there was no way he would ever catch up.

Although his current employer has been very accommodating, and his colleagues help him out by reading things for him and replying to emails, Paul said he would like to be able to reach a point where he was more independent and could read manuals without relying on picture instructions.

Until he joined Read Easy, he used to find ways to navigate life without being able to read.

“I relied on my other skills,” he said.

“I would listen really well and memorise everything to compensate for not being able to read the information. I have relied on my wife to read letters and other important information to me.”

Paul has never been afraid of asking for help, although for a long time he did feel ashamed of not being able to read.

Paul said both his dad and granddad also had problems with reading.

It wasn’t until Paul started the Read Easy programme that his father admitted to him for the first time that he also has problems with reading.

For more info on Basingstoke Read Easy, email basingstoke@readeasy.org.uk or call 07592 450789.

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