It’s been a while since I jotted down a blog. Not for lack of things to say. Quite the opposite, actually. There’s just been so much going on, where do you start?

So maybe best just to focus on things that have taken place this week, and hope that somehow you’ve heard about the rest of the stuff from other sources, or maybe even from our own social media.

(On that note, I’ve reawakened my commitment to dip into LinkedIn more frequently, following our recent session with social media guru Fiona Service from Litus Digital. Are you on LinkedIn? If so, will you be my friend please?!).

This week our team have been as busy as ever, despite the holiday season, with a flurry of 1:1 assessments taking place around the country, and also online. In addition to assessments, our Farnham premises have also hosted 1:1 specialist teaching sessions with experts Ginny and Sally. Meanwhile, Claire has provided consultations over the phone to various parents who need some advice regarding the next step to take for their children.

Big news is the fact that our external Quality Assurance verifier has completed her evaluation of the coursework of our 55 candidates who have done their Level 5 and Level 7 Diplomas with us throughout the year. They (and we!) will all be waiting with bated breath to hear how they did, so there’ll be more news on that next week.

We all know that times are financially tough in the country at the moment, so we’re pleased to ‘do our bit’ by helping as many people as possible who are from lower-income backgrounds or struggling financially. So far this year we’ve already helped 450 people in this way, with the equivalent of over £230,000 of bursary-funded dyslexia support. A massive Thank You to all our brilliant donors for making it possible for us to do this, with donations big and small, transforming the lives of children and adults with dyslexia.

Of course, the main thing is to put everyone’s donations to good use, fulfilling our mission to remove barriers to learning, employment and life for people with dyslexia. So, I’ll finish with this note that came in this week from the parents of 15-year-old V:

‘We are sincerely grateful to Helen Arkell for your commitment to ensuring a thorough evaluation, as it has allowed us to take the necessary steps to support V.

Understanding his challenges and strengths through your assessment has been a turning point for our family. It has helped us comprehend his learning needs better and alleviated any feelings of guilt or uncertainty we may have had along the way. Once again, thank you for your invaluable contribution, and we truly appreciate all the effort and care Helen Arkell has put into this assessment, positively impacting V’s future.’

Thank you for playing your part in this big team effort!

Andy