Opening Our Doors for Dyslexia Awareness Week

Our Dyslexia Awareness Week Open Day brought together families, educators, supporters and community members for an afternoon of conversation, connection and discovery.

With this year’s theme, Dyslexia in Real Life, visitors explored the everyday experiences of people with dyslexia and learned more about the support, services and opportunities available through Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity.

We were delighted to welcome Susan Stewart, author of Dog-Lexius, Anne-Lise Kadri from Voices For Impact, and Spike’s Sight Words, whose insights, stories and activities helped make the afternoon both inspiring and engaging.

The event was about celebrating dyslexic people, recognising their strengths, sharing experiences and building understanding. It was wonderful to see so many people coming together with a shared passion for creating positive change.
Together, we’re helping to create a future where people with dyslexia feel understood, valued and empowered to thrive. 💜
By |2026-10-08T16:58:12+01:00October 8th, 2026|Homepage featured, Latest news, Team blog|Comments Off on Opening Our Doors for Dyslexia Awareness Week

Parents Invited to Discover Practical Ways to Support Children with Dyslexia at Home

How to Help at Home Course 16 October 2026 

Parents and carers looking for effective ways to help their child thrive with dyslexia are encouraged to sign up for an informative and supportive face-to-face workshop presented by dyslexia specialist Helen Barrett.

Our workshop, How to Help at Home – Supporting Your Child with Dyslexia at Home, is designed to give parents a deeper understanding of dyslexia and provide practical strategies they can use immediately to support their child’s learning, confidence and well-being.

Led by Helen Barrett, Specialist Assessor and Level 7 Course Tutor, the session will explore what dyslexia is, the common characteristics associated with it, and the impact it can have on literacy and numeracy development. Attendees will also learn about the benefits of a multi-sensory approach to learning and discover practical techniques for supporting reading, reading comprehension, writing and spelling at home.

Importantly, the workshop recognises that dyslexia affects far more than academic skills. Parents will gain valuable insights into supporting memory, organisation and self-esteem, helping their children build confidence and reach their full potential.

Learn more here. 

By |2026-09-10T11:22:17+01:00September 10th, 2026|Course news, Homepage featured, Latest news|Comments Off on Parents Invited to Discover Practical Ways to Support Children with Dyslexia at Home

Summer Touch-Typing Courses

Now that the summer holidays are here and routines are a little quieter, it’s the perfect time to help your child build valuable skills while having fun. ☀️⌨️

Join us from 19–21 August 2026 for either our Introduction to Touch Typing course for beginners or our Developing Touch Typing course for children who already know the basics and want to improve their speed, accuracy and confidence.

With just 1.5 hours a day over three days, these engaging, supportive sessions are a great way to fill part of the holiday, boost confidence and help learners get ready for the new school term.

See our courses page to sign up!

By |2026-08-07T15:44:52+01:00August 7th, 2026|Course news, Homepage featured, Latest news|Comments Off on Summer Touch-Typing Courses

‘Go All In’ with our Summer Reading Tips!

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: 

  • More effortful 
  • More tiring 
  • More frustrating 

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. 📚

 

By |2026-07-17T12:36:20+01:00July 17th, 2026|Latest news, Team blog, Uncategorized|Comments Off on ‘Go All In’ with our Summer Reading Tips!

Sign up to the London Landmarks Half Marathon in 2027 and run for Dyslexia!

Run the London Landmarks Half Marathon in 2027 for Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity.
Explore iconic sights like Big Ben and St Paul’s on a unique closed-road route through central London and help us raise funds for people with dyslexia.
Whether you’re running for a personal challenge, to beat your personal best or supporting dyslexia, the London Landmarks Half Marathon promises an inspiring and memorable experience in one of the world’s greatest cities.
By |2026-06-01T16:46:23+01:00June 1st, 2026|Fundraising news, Homepage featured, Latest news, Team blog|Comments Off on Sign up to the London Landmarks Half Marathon in 2027 and run for Dyslexia!

We’re Recruiting!

Fundraising and Communications Manager

We are looking for an experienced fundraising and communications manager with a strong track record of income generation and communications expertise.

A collaborative approach and commitment to Helen Arkell’s values is essential. You will be confident using digital technologies to support your work and have the ability to lead and deliver a fundraising strategy. You will have strong written and verbal communication skills and be comfortable stewarding donors and making financial asks.

Does this sound like you? We’d love to hear from you.

Find out more here.

By |2026-04-15T10:45:51+01:00April 15th, 2026|Fundraising news, Homepage featured, Latest news, Team blog|Comments Off on We’re Recruiting!

National Lottery Community Fund Boosts Dyslexia Support for Disadvantaged Children and Adults

We’re delighted to share that Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity has been awarded £19,966 from The National Lottery Community Fund to support our project “Dyslexia Specialist Support for Disadvantaged People”.

Thanks to the nation’s National Lottery players, we’ll be able to provide one‑to‑one specialist support to disadvantaged children and adults who struggle with reading, writing and related learning difficulties — helping build skills, confidence and long‑term independence.

Head of Fundraising at Helen Arkell, Hazel Radnor, says: “This funding means we can reach even more people who urgently need specialist help but are unable to access it due to financial barriers.”

We can’t wait to get started and will share updates, stories and successes as the project unfolds.

💙 Thank you, National Lottery players!

By |2026-03-04T13:59:00+00:00March 4th, 2026|Fundraising news, Homepage featured, Latest news|Comments Off on National Lottery Community Fund Boosts Dyslexia Support for Disadvantaged Children and Adults

More Support for Adults with Undiagnosed Dyslexia Needed – BBC News

Adults struggling with undiagnosed dyslexia are facing challenges, from the high cost of assessments to the difficulty of navigating word-heavy online resources.
Amanda Lightowler, Specialist Tutor for Children and Adults at Helen Arkell comments in today’s article on BBC News that many people seeking answers are deterred by costs. For those already grappling with literacy barriers, even finding reliable information online can feel like an impossible task.

Read the full article here.

At Helen Arkell, we offer a range of dyslexia assessments for adults and children. A dyslexia assessment will help someone understand their strengths, and why they may be experiencing difficulties in their learning or day-to-day life.

For enquiries about all types of assessments including adult assessments, please see our dyslexia assessments page here.

By |2025-12-10T14:39:00+00:00December 10th, 2025|Homepage featured, Latest news, Uncategorized|Comments Off on More Support for Adults with Undiagnosed Dyslexia Needed – BBC News

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
Go to Top