All the latest news from Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity.
This year is the National Year of Reading.
To help encourage a love of reading, Helen Arkell is pleased to share our top reading tips for the Summer Holidays!
For children with dyslexia, building confidence is just as important as building skills. Whether you’re practising phonics, reading together, exploring graphic novels, listening to audiobooks, or using assistive technology, you’re helping your child develop a positive relationship with reading.
Not every child learns to read in the same way – and that’s okay.
If reading feels hard, try a different approach. Audiobooks, graphic novels, or reading together all count as reading and can help build confidence.
Remember…
Children who struggle with reading often work much harder than we realise.
Reading can be:
A little patience goes a long way.
Encourage, Don’t Pressure
The goal isn’t just to create good readers…It’s to create children who enjoy stories.
A love of books often comes before confident reading.
This Summer we will share useful tips to help your child keep their interest alive. Week-by-week we will share some simple strategies that encourage reading before the new term begins.
Wishing all our families a happy, relaxing summer filled with stories, laughter, and plenty of opportunities to discover the joy of reading!
Following along here and on our social media to learn more. 📚
Got a ballot place for the 2027 Double TCS London Marathon?
Use your ballot place to run for Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity and turn every mile into life-changing support for people with dyslexia.
Register your place with us and join Team Helen Arkell. 💙 Contact us to find out more: fundraising@helenarkell.org.uk
Two years ago, Lowery came home from school devastated after being told by teachers that she would not succeed in life if she didn’t pass her GCSEs in English and Maths.
Lowery had an assessment and took the Helen Arkell summer touch typing course. Her mother believes the assessment helped her get into her secondary school.
Determined to prove her teachers wrong, Lowery and her family focused on her strengths. As she loves making jewellery and keyrings, she started selling her creations at local fairs. Over the past 18 months, Lowery, who is autistic, has grown tremendously in confidence, learning to talk to customers, handle money and understand the basics of running a business, including costs, profit and reinvesting in her venture.
What began as a response to comments has become a wonderful success story, showing that there is more than one path to achievement and that belief, perseverance and opportunity can make all the difference.
Last weekend she kindly gave half the profits from her stall at the Petersfield Community Fair to Helen Arkell; a generous donation to help other children just like her.
Our thanks to Lowery and her family for all their support.
A huge thank you to Theo Paphitis, Ryman, and the wider Theo Paphitis Retail Group (TPRG), with their partners and suppliers, for the annual Theo Pathitis Charitable Trust Clay Shoot 2026 earlier in June.
A record-breaking £100,000 was raised for the four charity partners: Starlight Children’s Foundation– UK, British Dyslexia Association, CoppaFeel! and ourselves.
The event marked a powerful display of generosity and collaboration, with funds raised set to make a meaningful difference to individuals with dyslexia. The Clay Shoot funds will help education professionals access our Supporting Learners CPD Accredited course so they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to support dyslexic learners in the classroom. This helps these learners to access the curriculum, achieve their goals and thrive.
Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity is proud to be part of such a dedicated and impactful initiative.
“We are incredibly grateful to everyone who supported this event,” said Helen Arkell CEO, Julie Bentley. “It is an honour to be part of something that brings real hope and lasting change to the lives of so many. We would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you for such an amazing day at the Shoot. TPRG truly are an incredible organisation, and we feel very fortunate to have them as a partner. The amount of money raised, not just at the Shoot, but across all fundraising efforts, is nothing short of inspiring. The difference this makes to organisations like ours cannot be underestimated, and we are deeply grateful for everything they do”.
We’re excited to launch our special summer offer. If you’ve been considering arranging a dyslexia assessment, now is a great time to take the next step.
Between 19th June and 17th July, if you complete and submit a new booking enquiry form via our website that results in a full-price assessment taking place during the school summer holidays (22nd July – 1st September), you’ll receive:
✅ £35 off the listed price
✅ FREE access to 7 expert-led recorded sessions (worth £98) – packed with practical strategies to help parents and carers support their child’s learning
Next steps:
This is a fantastic opportunity to get expert support and gain valuable insights and tools.
🕒 Don’t miss out – offer ends 17th July!
Coming soon! Summer promotion £35 off full price assessments, check back here from 19th June for further details including timeframes, eligibility criteria and promo code.
This Spring, we’re asking for your help.
Can you join our circle of supporters who can make dyslexia help accessible to all.
Every day, children and adults turn to us for life‑changing dyslexia support. By joining our circle of monthly supporters, you make sure no one is left behind.
Your monthly gift keeps our work running, every single day.
How your donation helps
A regular gift helps us provide assessments, specialist tuition, learning resources and advice to people of all ages, when they need it most.
Your donation will strengthen the charity from the ground up, giving us the resilience, flexibility and the stability we need to support every learner who walks through our doors.
It also allows us to put your support to work where it’s needed most, so we can respond quickly when families require urgent help.
Why become a monthly supporter?
You create stability. Regular donations help us plan ahead and say “yes” to more families in need.
You change lives.“The assessment changed everything for our family. We finally felt understood.”
You keep the wheels turning. Your support helps us deliver our services.
Can you help us this Spring?
A little each month makes a big difference. Your monthly gift supports the whole charity, helping every part of our work.
By giving from £5, £10, £20 or any amount that feels right to you, you help us nurture confidence, self‑belief, and lifelong learning – building strength from the ground up for every learner and for the charity itself.
If you can donate, please visit our Just Giving Campaign here.
We are now operating a waitlist for places in the popular Royal Parks Half Marathon this October.
Help support people with dyslexia and raise funds for us on Sunday 11th October 2026.
Sign up and support a great cause!
Registered charity in England and Wales (1064646). A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, company number 3432423.
