Southern Co-op funeralcare branches in Shaftesbury and Gillingham are supporting a charity helping adults who have difficulty reading.
The Read Easy Gillingham and Shaftesbury group has been using the conference room at the Co-operative Funeralcare for their regular sessions. Recently, the funeralcare branch has also made a £200 donation to the charity, which will enable it to buy a new set of reading materials.
A not-for-profit organisation, Read Easy recruits, trains and supports volunteers to give free one-to-one help to adults who struggle with reading. The free service is offered in a friendly and flexible manner.
The local project covers Shaftesbury, Gillingham, Wincanton, Sherborne and the surrounding villages. Jenny, the group co-ordinator, said: “It is estimated that one in six adults in the UK struggles, or lacks confidence, with reading.
“Read Easy is flexible and confidential to learn at your own pace with a volunteer coach to help. We have 24 adults enrolled with two more starting soon.
“The recent donation has been used to buy one complete set of reading manuals and books as well as two books of worksheets used for improving reading and writing fluency a total of 37 books altogether – this is so much appreciated, thank you very much to our friends at Southern Co-op.”
The Southern Co-op’s branch in Gillingham is now also providing a meeting point for the group.
Suzanne Smith, Southern’s funeral co-ordinator in Shaftesbury, said: “Local groups like this make such a difference to our community. The impact that the volunteers have on people’s lives is invaluable. We are proud to support them.”
Southern is backing a number of local causes as part of its community engagement programme, Love Your Neighbourhood.
