About Vicky Brighton

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So far Vicky Brighton has created 21 blog entries.

The Big Give #ChristmasChallenge

Your Donation Will Be DOUBLED This December !

We’re very excited to let you know that we have been selected to participate in this year’s Big Give #ChristmasChallenge.

That means that every donation made to our campaign via BigGive.org during the week of 2 – 9 December, will be doubled.

All donations to Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity will be matched £1 for £1 through the #ChristmasChallenge, helped by our group of incredible pledgers and our champion match funder, AKO Foundation.

Your donation of £10 turns into £20, your £50 into £100 – and so on!

So whatever you can give, no matter the size, every donation will make double the difference helping us to deliver specialist support for people with dyslexia.

What can you do now?

✅ Starting today at midday and running until 9 December, make a donation to the Big Give’s #ChristmasChallenge here. The donate button will appear on the Big Give Helen Arkell page when the campaign starts at 12pm (midday) today.

Share the campaign with friends, family, or on social media – anyone who may want their donation doubled!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at fundraising@helenarkell.org.uk

Thank you so much for your support – together, we can make twice the impact in 2026!

Watch the Big Give Video here! Backhand index pointing down

Q & A’s

1) Online donations to participating Charities received during the live campaign will be matched initially by pledge funds. Once a Charity has used all of its pledge funds, donations will be matched by Champion funds until Champion funds are exhausted or until the campaign ends, whichever is sooner.

2) Once our Charity pledge funds and Champion funds have been exhausted, our donation page on the Big Give website will clearly state that any subsequent donations will not be matched. Donors will still be encouraged to make an unmatched donation.

3) All donations made during the campaign must be made online via Big Give’s website without exception. Donations must be made via a Charity’s donation page on Big Give’s website, for the project which has been accepted into the campaign.

4) The minimum single donation that can be made during the campaign is £1. The maximum donation made during the campaign using a credit or debit card is £25,000. The largest donation made using our donation funds feature is £500,000.

5) A donation is eligible to be matched if it is made through the Charities campaign when the campaign is live and if there is sufficient funding available in the match fund for the selected Charity.

6) Once matching funds are reserved, donors will have 25 minutes to complete their donation. If the donation is not completed within 25 minutes, the Donor will be notified, and the match funding will be released back into the match fund for said Charity.

A message from Mia

Mia tells us why this campaign will help more children like her.

By |2025-12-03T17:01:09+00:00November 28th, 2025|Fundraising news, Homepage featured, Latest news, Uncategorized|Comments Off on The Big Give #ChristmasChallenge

Research Participants Needed

Help Us Understand Reading and Anxiety in Adolescents.

 

Are you a parent of an adolescent aged 11–16 who has reading difficulties and is fluent in English? Researchers at the University of Surrey are inviting parent-child pairs to take part in an online research study exploring the connection between reading difficulties and anxiety.

Why participate?
Your insights will help us better support adolescents with reading difficulties in the future.

What’s involved?

  • Parents: Complete 3 short online surveys (approx. 20 mins total) and share child’s dyslexia assessment report via a secure link.
  • Adolescents: Complete 2 short online surveys (approx. 15 mins total).

🎁 Thank you gift: Each parent and adolescent will receive a £10 Amazon voucher for participating!

📌 Eligibility:

  • Adolescents aged 11–16.
  • In secondary school.
  • Have reading difficulties.
  • Had a dyslexia assessment in the last year.
  • Both parent and adolescent must be fluent in English.

🔗 Interested?
Follow the link to take part here or mail Jovana Durica at UnRAP@surrey.ac.uk to learn more and sign up.

Let’s work together to make a difference in how we support young people with reading challenges.

By |2025-11-28T15:22:06+00:00November 28th, 2025|Research news|Comments Off on Research Participants Needed

Making Spirits Bright: Santa’s Grotto Launch Brings Joy and Support for Helen Arkell Students

Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity and children from surrounding local schools welcomed Santa and his team of elves to Squires Garden Centre, Badshot Lea, to help cut the ribbon and launch the opening of Santa’s Grotto for 2025!

Children who have benefited from the services of Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity joined from Potters Gate School in Farnham and William Cobbett School Farnham and were the first to meet Father Christmas and his helpers! Each child visited Santa and everyone came away with a special gift.

Squires Garden Centre, Badshot Lea, have chosen Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity as their Charity of the Year this year, and we are thrilled to have their support. As part of this, £1 from every ticket sold for Santa’s Grotto will be donated to Helen Arkell in the New Year. These funds will help us provide life-changing support to more people with dyslexia.

Santa’s Grotto is open until 4pm on Christmas Eve, so there’s lots of time to book your place and visit before Christmas!

To make a booking, please visit their website here. 

 

By |2025-11-25T15:20:34+00:00November 25th, 2025|Fundraising news, Homepage featured, Latest news, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Making Spirits Bright: Santa’s Grotto Launch Brings Joy and Support for Helen Arkell Students

THRIVE: Neurodivergence at Work Survey

Help the UK Young Academy improve workplaces for neurodivergent people 

The UK Young Academy — a network of early-career professionals working for positive change — is running a survey on how UK workplaces can better support dyslexic and other neurodivergent people.

You don’t need a formal diagnosis to participate.

All neurotypes welcome.

Whether you’re dyslexic, autistic, have ADHD, Tourette’s, or another form of neurodivergence — your voice matters.

Help shape more inclusive, supportive workplaces across the UK by sharing your experience.

Take the survey:

 https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/THRIVEUKYA/

By |2025-11-18T10:22:05+00:00November 18th, 2025|Latest news, Research news, Uncategorized|Comments Off on THRIVE: Neurodivergence at Work Survey

Congratulations Caroline!

Congratulations to our amazing supporter Caroline who successfully completed the New York Marathon earlier this month, raising funds for dyslexia awareness.
This is the second time Caroline has run the marathon, both for ourselves and The Children’s Dyslexia Center of New Jersey.
Caroline completed the course in 4 hours and 47 minutes, inspired by her son George, who is thriving thanks to the support of specialist charities.
And as if one marathon wasn’t enough, Caroline is doing it all again (this side of the pond!) running the London Marathon in April 2026, for Helen Arkell.
She’s truly inspiring!
Read her full story and support her fundraising here 👇
Inspired by Caroline’s story? Take on a challenge for dyslexia!
Visit our events page to find a challenge!
By |2025-11-14T15:07:36+00:00November 14th, 2025|Fundraising news, Homepage featured, Latest news, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Congratulations Caroline!

Three CPD Courses for specialist assessors

Three fantastic courses for assessors are now available to book.

We have been developing our range of CPD training for specialist assessors. All courses are now available to book here: Courses for assessors | Helen Arkell

 

Introduction to the Intelligence and Development Scales 2nd Edition (IDS-2)

This presentation includes an overview of how the test battery is constructed, its strengths for assessing the areas of cognition and attainment that are most relevant for dyslexia, and scoring. Sarah Sainty, the course presenter, is an Assessment Consultant for Hogrefe and a highly experienced assessor. She enjoys using the IDS-2 and will explain the wealth of information it yields. We give thanks to Hogrefe for this presentation. For more details and to book: Introduction to the Intelligence and Development Scales (IDS-2) | Helen Arkell

 

WIAT-III UK: A comparison with the WIAT-III UK-T

This course is for specialist assessors who are familiar with administering the WIAT-III UK-T and would like to understand the additional areas of testing offered by the WIAT-III UK. The course includes an overview of the WIAT-III UK, a comparison of the test materials in both versions, a comparison of the subtests offered in both versions, a recap of the administration of existing key subtests, and guidance on administration of the new subtests in the WIAT-III UK in areas of language, reading, spelling, writing and maths. Helen Barrett, an experienced assessor, presents this course. For more details and to book:  WIAT-III UK: A Comparison with the WIAT-III UK-T | Helen Arkell

 

Alternative Tests of Underlying Ability

This course is for specialist assessors who are considering alternatives to the Wide Range Intelligence Test (WRIT) which will be withdrawn from the SASC list of approved tests at the start of January 2026. The course includes an overview of conceptualisations of intelligence, the structure and conceptualisation of intelligence of 5 test batteries: RIAS-2, IDS-2, WCJIV-Cog, TOD and CAS-2, the subtests in each battery that aim to measure intelligence and/or the ability to find ways to tackle learning tasks, and how these relate to the requirements of the current SASC report format, examples of the kinds of tasks an examinee would be asked to complete in these subtests, and basic test information including age range, approximate costs, administration time, standardisation, validity and reliability. Anita Haigh, an experienced assessor, presents this course. For more details and to book: Alternative Tests of Underlying Ability | Helen Arkell

By |2025-11-13T10:01:37+00:00November 13th, 2025|Course news, Latest news|Comments Off on Three CPD Courses for specialist assessors

Haslemere Charities Fair

Helen Arkell will be attending the much-loved Haslemere Charities Fair on Sunday 23rd November. 

The event will run from 10am to 2pm at the Haslemere Hall.

This fun Christmas event is FREE to enter for the public, making it more accessible than ever.

Expect a festive atmosphere filled with handcrafted gifts, homemade cakes, and plenty of opportunities to support local charities, including ourselves. There will be the newly refurbished lounge annexe and café for visitors to enjoy a warm drink and light snacks while browsing.

We’re proud to be part of this community event and look forward to seeing you there!

Pop along and say hi!

 

By |2025-11-10T12:49:32+00:00November 10th, 2025|Fundraising news, Latest news, Shop news, Team blog|Comments Off on Haslemere Charities Fair

Introducing Claire Harvey’s, ‘A Little Guide for Teachers: Supporting Dyslexic Learners in the Classroom’

We are thrilled to share the news that Head of Education, Claire Harvey’s ‘Supporting Dyslexic Learners in the Classroom’, will be published on Saturday 25th October 2025.

This a practical guide with advice for how learners with dyslexia can thrive in the classroom.

Every teacher is a teacher of neurodivergent learners — including those with dyslexia. With the right adjustments and accommodations, children with dyslexia can thrive in the classroom. This practical Little Guide, empowers teachers with proven strategies, tools and insights to help dyslexic learners succeed.

This book is now available for purchase from our shop here. 📚

By |2025-10-23T17:02:40+01:00October 23rd, 2025|Latest news, Shop news, Team blog|Comments Off on Introducing Claire Harvey’s, ‘A Little Guide for Teachers: Supporting Dyslexic Learners in the Classroom’

Support from Spinach!

We’re incredibly proud to be supported by Spinach! 💚

We are pleased to announce that Spinach, an independent family run small chain of restaurants and shops in East Dulwich and Crystal Palace, is now supporting Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity.

Spinach, whose founder Mel and several team members have dyslexia, have decided to help us following an assessment that one of their team had from Helen Arkell.

As they were only diagnosed as adults, they feel that they spent meant years of feeling “not good enough”… when all they needed was the right support.

Spinach are kindly supporting Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity via donations in their restaurant, helping children get the support they need early on.

If you are in the area, pop in, grab something delicious, and donate if you can.  They also have a Just Giving page: Spinach London is fundraising for Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity

Thank you!

 

 

By |2025-10-21T16:56:39+01:00October 21st, 2025|Fundraising news, Latest news|Comments Off on Support from Spinach!

Dyslexia Awareness Week 2025 – Raising the Volume

This week we’re Raising the Volume for Dyslexia Awareness Week!

 

From Monday 6 October – Sunday 12 October 2025 we will be making sure dyslexia is heard, understood, and celebrated like never before.

💙 Heartfelt & Inclusive

Dyslexia Awareness Week 2025 is here, and we’re inviting every voice to join the conversation.

🎤 Your Voice, Your Story

Got a story to tell? This October, we’re Raising the Volume and handing you the mic.

📣 Advocacy-Focused

It’s time to speak up, stand out, and Raise the Volume this October.

We believe every voice matters, and every story has the power to inspire. Whether you’ve lived with dyslexia, supported someone who has, or championed inclusive learning—your experience can help others feel seen and heard.

📱 Share Your Story We’d love you to join in by sending us a short video (up to one minute) sharing your journey with dyslexia. What challenges have you overcome? What strengths have helped you thrive? What advice would you give others?  Send your stories to: news@helenarkell.org.uk – thank you!

Watch our stories:

Dyslexia Awareness Week 2025

Eshani’s Story

Maliya-Mae’s Story

Gary’s Story

 

#DAW25

By |2025-10-31T10:39:09+00:00October 6th, 2025|Fundraising news|Comments Off on Dyslexia Awareness Week 2025 – Raising the Volume
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