📰 Adult Literacy News Summary
New creative hub, The Literature Laboratory, opens in Brecon town centre
13-Oct-2025 - UK
A new creative hub has opened its doors in Brecon town centre, bringing together books, art and community under one roof. The Literature Laboratory is a space for discovery, conversation and imagination, designed for both children and adults. The hub stocks a carefully curated selection of books and gifts, ranging from local Welsh voices to international titles. It also hosts workshops, readings and community events. The ethos of the shop is built on the idea that reading well helps people live well and be well.
Read more"I left school struggling to read and write"
12-Oct-2025 - UK
A 22-year-old who was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyscalculia later on in life says school was a daily battle. Luke Hall, from Cramlington, Northumberland, grew up finding it hard to recognise both letters and numbers, and remembers them "jumping around" on the page. Luke found help with charity Read Easy, which places people like him with volunteer coaches who work one-on-one on literacy skills. He left school struggling to read and write but is one of many in north-east England, according the National Literacy Trust, which estimates more than 17% of adults in the region have very low literacy skills.
Read moreWarning UK ‘missing out on £69bn by failing to empower dyslexic people'
09-Oct-2025 - UK
Britain's economy could be losing nearly £69 billion a year by failing to harness the potential of people with dyslexia, charities and business leaders have warned. New research estimates that empowering people with dyslexia could boost the "Dyslexic Thinking" contribution to the UK economy from £29.5 billion to £98.2 billion. Around one in five people are dyslexic and they often excel in creative thinking, problem-solving, communication and big-picture analysis but struggle with reading and spelling.
Read moreRead Easy talk in Okehampton
09-Oct-2025 - UK
Richard Clear, local representative of national charity Read Easy, will speak at 2.30pm on Tuesday, October 21 at Fairplace Church, Okehampton. Read Easy provide a free, one-to-one and confidential learning programme for adults who either cannot read or who have difficulty with their reading. Richard started the local branch of Read Easy covering North, East and West Devon in 2022.
Read moreScotland's bookshops hailed as haven for young and old amid mental health crisis
08-Oct-2025 - UK
Scots are being urged to celebrate their high street stores ahead of national Bookshop Day on Saturday, October 11. The nation’s bookshops have been hailed a haven for people suffering from mental health issues and a place for kids to discover the joy of reading. Next Saturday, October 11, marks Bookshop Day in the UK and Ireland – and it comes as Scotland faces both a mental health crisis and falling child literacy rates.
Read moreNew national school programme for literacy announced
08-Oct-2025 - UK
Bangor University has been successful in being awarded a grant of £8.2 million over the next three years for the CAL:ON Cymru project. This allows them to establish a centre of excellence for literacy teaching and deliver bilingual nationally available support for all learners aged 3 to 16. CAL:ON Cymru stands for the ‘Centre for the Advancement of Literacy: research-led Outcomes and Nation-wide change’.
Read more10-year adult ed rescue plan would boost economy by £22bn, says L&W
08-Oct-2025 - UK
The government, employers, and individuals should inject an extra £2.2 billion every year over the next decade to restore skills attainment to 2010 levels, boost the economy and save £8 billion annually for the taxpayer, a think tank has said. Learning and Work Institute (L&W) has today unveiled a decade-long roadmap to reverse government and employer cuts in training investment and undo the decline in adult literacy and numeracy skills
Read moreBloomsbury introduces dyslexia-friendly range of bestsellers in 'industry-first'
06-Oct-2025 - UK
Bloomsbury Publishing has launched a range of dyslexia-friendly editions, “an industry-first initiative” transforming 11 bestselling adult titles into a format specifically for adults with dyslexia.
Read moreMP visits food bank and support groups in Southampton
03-Oct-2025 - UK
Last month, I had the opportunity to talk to one of the team leaders from Read Easy in Southampton, a local group that provides free one-to-one coaching for adults who struggle to read.
Read moreCheltenham Literature Festival has record-breaking year at box office
02-Oct-2025 - UK
The Times and the Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival has had a record-breaking year at the box office in 2025. Over 100,000 ticketholders attended more than 400 events at this year's event, with Cheltenham Festivals saying its bumper ticket sales reaffirm 'the enduring power of literature festivals'. The 10-day celebration of the written and spoken word featured a host of high-profile names, including Joanna Lumley, Miriam Margolyes, Graham Norton, Richard Osman, Joanna Page, Jaqueline Wilson, David Suchet and many more.
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