Around one in 13 adults in Waltham Forest struggles with reading, meaning that they would struggle to understand labels on food or household bills

Read Easy Waltham Forest provides free, confidential, one-to-one reading coaching for adults. Around one in 13 adults in Waltham Forest struggles with reading, meaning that they would struggle to understand labels on food or household bills.

People learn with Read Easy to gain confidence at work, support their children or grandchildren at school, or manage everyday tasks more independently.

One reader said: “Recently, I went online & I did an application, it wasn’t a long thing, but it’s something that I wouldn’t dare do in the past, at least not without asking for help. It felt great!”

2026 has recently been announced as the National Year of Reading, a major national campaign to get millions more people reading for pleasure and address a decline in reading among both adults and children. As a result, more adults will be seeking to improve their reading skills and Read Easy Waltham Forest has plans to grow in size.

The group started in 2023 and is currently supporting 15 readers, who work with trained volunteer coaches. Alongside the coaches, a small team of volunteers manages the group, including fundraising and matching readers with coaches.

The charity is now seeking a new team leader, an important volunteer role with overall responsibility for running and overseeing the direction of the group. The national Read Easy organisation provide extensive guidance and support, and no prior experience in teaching or literacy work is required.

Outgoing Team Leader Dorothy said: “Read Easy Waltham Forest has built a great team of diverse volunteers who are all committed to supporting people in the borough to improve their reading skills. It has been my pleasure to lead the team and be part of this rewarding and life changing work.”

“Problems with reading are far more common than many people realise,” said existing team member Catherine Crick. “It’s incredibly rewarding to work with a charity that helps people with such an essential skill, so reading struggles don’t hold them back in life.”

Anyone interested in finding out more is encouraged to contact [email protected] or visit this website

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