As Cambridge University Professor Jason Arday guest presents BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on 30 December 2023, Read Easy Ealing are reminding residents that like Professor Arday, it is never too late to learn to read.
Professor Arday himself did not learn to read until he was 18 and is now at 38 the UK’s youngest black professor.
Catherine Jaqiuss, team leader for Read Easy Ealing said: “Having someone of professor Arday’s stature on Today to highlight this underreported issue is really fantastic. His story is absolutely inspirational. At least one in 14, over 7% of adults across the UK either cannot read or have very poor reading ability. There are multitude reasons why some reach adulthood without being able to read but in every case the impact on individuals and their families are massive.
“A conservative estimate based on what we know is that three million adults in our country are affected. In one of the richest countries on earth this is simply not acceptable. At Read Easy we are dedicated to providing free one to one coaching to teach adults to read or improve their reading ability. Having Jason on the Today Programme will help us to highlight the issue. We need to get our message out to those who need our help and services.”
Ms Jaqiuss is also appealing for more local people to help the organisation. Currently across Ealing, Read Easy Ealing is working with 40 coach / reader pairs. Each pair meets twice each week in places such as libraries or sometimes through video calling.
She said: “We also need to reach people in our community who think they would have what it takes to be one of our coaches, or work in one of our other roles. We are all volunteers but work to rigorous professional standards. If you would like to know more about us, please contact us on and we will be delighted to tell you more about how we work.”
For more information on Read Easy Ealing, click here.
