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Life’s a bit easier when you have friends to bounce things off, isn’t it? A problem shared, and
all that? In the charity world, it makes good sense for us to help each other, join forces and
work together when there’s a clear benefit to be had. Particularly when it brings added-value
to the people that our charities are set up to support.
So, I was delighted to be put in touch with Julia this week. Julia is an experienced dyslexia
specialist and founder of Literacy100, a charity that seeks to help people from the homeless
community improve their literacy. Many of the people Julia works with are dyslexic. Julia
also filled me in on all her work with Thames Reach, another charity working with homeless
people in London. We brainstormed ways in which our respective charities can work
together to improve the opportunities of homeless people who are struggling with literacy
and where dyslexia may be a factor.
Also this week I was lucky enough to be put in touch with Dean from NoticeAbility. This is a
non-profit based in the USA, which is doing brilliant work with students who have dyslexia –
Dean is Head Honcho. We have set up a call next week, to compare notes and see how we
can work together and learn from each other. It feels like the pandemic prevented us from
forging these sorts of links over the last two years, and it’s great to start making new friends
again.
Likewise, it was brilliant to meet my newly-appointed opposite number at the British
Dyslexia Association. Chivonne was only appointed Interim CEO of the BDA just last month,
so I felt very honoured that she could find the time in her busy induction schedule to pop
down to Farnham, to hear more about our work at Helen Arkell, to compare notes and
generally just to start forging a productive working relationship.
On Tuesday this week, Tory and I were delighted to make new friends at euNetworks, a
company that has a brilliant way of managing its workforce, and undertakes ‘Watercooler
Chats’ to bring people together and spark off discussions on a range of issues. Tory and I
joined them to introduce the topic of dyslexia and we had some great discussions between
all the 62 participants. We’ll certainly find ways to work together again in future.
Then on Thursday night, we made some friends down the pub! – this was a Quiz Night in aid
of Helen Arkell, at the Hog’s Back Brewery. Thank you to everyone who joined in to support
us and had some fun; beer and pizza at the same time!
Last but by no means least, this week Rachael and I met another group of individuals who
are keen to join our team of dyslexia specialists. It was great to hear all their various
experiences and to see how they might fit into our growing network. Between us, our aim is
to help more people with dyslexia with every year that goes by, so there will always be
room for recruiting more talent into our workforce.
Of course, there’s a very obvious way in which you could contribute to our overall team
effort too, even if you’re not a dyslexia specialist. We are badly in need of more Friends of
Helen Arkell, to become part of a growing ‘inner circle’ within the Helen Arkell community,
contributing small, monthly donations in return for receiving ‘behind-the-scenes’ news. You
will love being a Friend because it will make you all warm and fuzzy inside, and you’ll sleep
soundly in your bed. You will also give off an aura of saintly virtue, and will instantly become
more popular with everyone you know. Even Teddy Edward the Great Bear of Frensham is a
Friend of Helen Arkell. Or he would be if he had any money (which he doesn’t).
Onwards and upwards, my friends!
Andy
PS. We hope you like our new website, which was developed free of charge by our friends at
Delivered Social in Guildford. Our old website was on its last legs, so Jonathan and his team
stepped in with an incredibly generous offer to get us set up with a new one, free of charge.
A big shout-out to Jonathan’s gang, and particularly to office dog Dembe who is the real
brains of the operation. Thank you, guys!! It really is brand new this week, so if you spot any
glitches, typos, or anything else you feel we should know about, please drop us a line and
we’ll put it right. Thank you!
We have a new book in our specialist shop, recommended by Claire Harvey, our Head of Education.
Teaching children to read is one of the most important tasks in primary education and classroom practice needs to be underpinned by a secure foundation of knowledge. Teachers need to know what reading entails, how children learn to read and how it can be taught effectively.
The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading is an essential guide for primary teachers that explores the key technical and practical aspects of how children read with strong links to theory and how to translate this into the classroom.
You can order here or pop into the Farnham Centre.
The TCS London Marathon is one of the world’s most famous running events. The course follows an iconic route taking in many of London’s landmarks, from the Cutty Sark and the City to St James’ Park and The Mall.
We need your help raising funds to support children, young people and adults who have dyslexia who need our help more than ever.
More information here.
During Dyslexia Awareness Week, Dr Anna Tsakalaki of University of Reading presented the findings of her research into supporting reading with children during the pandemic and how we can learn from these findings. If you missed the webinar, you can watch the video here. Go to University of Reading’s https://littleliteracylessons.org/ to watch and try out literacy activities.
Do you have 20 minutes to help Anna, an MSc Psychology student from Dundee University?
Anna is examining how students with dyslexia have learnt to compensate for the associated reading difficulties in order to cope with the reading demand required to complete a degree. She needs students who are currently at university to complete this study – both with and without dyslexia.
The study is anonymous and consists of a 20-minute session of three online tasks. There is more information on the link below and you are not obliged to take part or complete the tasks once you click the link.
Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity and the University of Dundee take your confidentiality seriously. By clicking on this link, you may be tracked by the provider of the current web page. In order to prevent this, we advise that you cut and paste the URL into a new browser tab or page.
https://research.sc/participant/login/dynamic/25251433-FA54-4BEE-A679-480558511840
Please pass this on if you know of anyone who could take part.
Thank you.
Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity held a very special graduation ceremony on Friday 5 October for students of its professional qualifications.
The graduates now hold Level 5 Diplomas in Teaching Learners with Dyslexia/Specific Learning Difficulties
The year-long course is run from our Centre at 24 West Street, Farnham and consists of weekly lectures as well as teaching practice in local primary and secondary schools. The teaching practice demands a level of creativity from the students, and they were congratulated on their inspiring and memorable teaching methods.
Graduation certificates were presented by Helen Arkell former Principal Rosie Woods, and the ceremony was attended by families of the students, course tutors, charity trustees, and members of the Helen Arkell team.
The graduation was all the more special because the course was disrupted by the pandemic and students had had to go the extra mile with teaching practice under difficult conditions and tuition sessions being held in our car park (weather permitting)!. These students were delighted to meet their tutors again and to hear all the news from the charity about how it has stepped up to support more children and adults with dyslexia than ever.
CEO Andy Cook said, ‘Congratulations to all our graduates. We are so proud of them. Being ‘Helen Arkell trained’ is the Gold Standard and is highly respected in this field. These graduates are valued ambassadors and members of the Helen Arkell family. We are thrilled that some students are continuing to study with us for their Level 7 qualification.’
Find out more about our courses for educators.
I don’t know about you, but I always find this time of year to be one of reflection. Perhaps it’s to do with Summer suddenly moving very quickly into Autumn, with the evenings drawing in. (We should be used to it, as we’ve seen it happen every year, but it’s still always a talking point, and a bit of a surprise).
Maybe all the events of the last couple of weeks, culminating in the Queen’s funeral on Monday, have added an extra layer of reflection and pensiveness too. A mix of thinking back over an extraordinary life; and looking forward to the beginning of a new era.
When I look back over recent years at Helen Arkell, I can see lots of areas where we’ve made progress. We’re now helping more people with dyslexia than we used to. We’re reaching people from a wider geographical area. We’re helping lots more people from lower-income backgrounds with bursary-funded support.
But there’s still something that we continue to be pretty rubbish at. And that’s the next nut that we need to crack if this charity is going to be able to continue increasing the numbers of individuals with dyslexia whom we help each year.
And that particular nut is to grow the number of brilliant supporters who choose to make a gift in their Will to this charity, for the benefit of people with dyslexia. Other charities attract many such benefactors, to a point where as much as half their income comes from that source. And this is the time of year they generally choose to talk about gifts in Wills. (You may have seen both MacMillan and Cancer Research UK advertising legacies during last week’s Bake Off ad breaks).
Last year several amazing people from our Helen Arkell community let me know that they’d either made out a gift to the charity in their Will, or that they planned to do so. Whilst that is absolutely brilliant (and these people are heroes, who will ensure that future generations continue to be helped by this charity) I would dearly love to persuade each and every person in the Helen Arkell community to at least consider updating their Will, and to consider making a gift to this charity, however small.
I would be immensely grateful if you would read our page on Wills, and take action if you feel moved to do so. I have already written the charity into my Will. Mrs F from Northumberland wrote the charity into her Will too, and we received a gift of £5,000 to help us fulfil our mission.
As you will see, it’s not a question of choosing between family and charity – it’s just seeing if you could spare a little gift after you’ve made provision for your nearest and dearest.
And leaving gifts to charities in Wills can bring tax benefits too.
Thank you!
Andy
PS As someone who makes a pledge to Helen Arkell in your Will, you will be invited to all our events, so you feel in touch with our innermost plans and activities. Please do let us know if you decide to act on the Wills information, so we can be sure to include you. If you prefer to remain anonymous, that’s fine too.
Monday 3 October to Sunday 9 October
Dyslexia Awareness Week is an opportunity to build understanding of dyslexia, highlighting both the strengths and challenges it may bring.
We’d love you to join our events during the week or why not get involved at home, school or work.
Free Webinar with Claire Harvey – Head of Education.
Monday 3 October, 19:00 – 20:00 hours.
Watch the recording of this webinar here.
With Dr Anna Tsakalaki – Lecturer in Education at the University of Reading.
Thursday 6 October, 13.00 to 14.30 hours.
Tickets £15.
Find out more and book your place here.
Get involved
You can get involved in Dyslexia Awareness Week in a number of ways:
Check back here for updates on our Dyslexia Awareness Week plans or sign up for our e-newsletter here.
We’d like to introduce you to the amazing runners training hard to run an epic 26.2 miles in this year’s marathon taking place on Sunday 2nd October.
It’s a huge commitment, with months of training in all weathers. This year they’ve had to cope with weeks of extreme heat and now thunderstorms and torrential rain!
Please show your support for their heroic efforts and encourage them to get to the finish line.
It continues to be such a difficult time for many charities, and we are really truly grateful for their amazing efforts raising funds to support children and adults with dyslexia.
If you could donate a few pounds to spur them on, please click on their names below to find out more about their marathon stories. Thank you.
If you’d like to join the 2023 London Marathon team apply here or email us fundraising@helenarkell.org.uk.
We’d love to hear from you!
Registered charity in England and Wales (1064646). A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, company number 3432423.
Jac van Driel
Colette Grist
Emily Howell
Juliette Moore