On 24th November, Dyslexia Action is holding an afternoon of entertainment and education to mark the official opening of its new Leeds headquarters on Woodhouse Lane.
The move signifies the start of an exciting new chapter for the charity which gives much-needed support for children and adults with dyslexia across the whole of West Yorkshire. The aim of the event is to provide a fun-filled afternoon for the West Yorkshire community with a series of interactive games and activities – many of which have been tailored for children with dyslexia. There will also be a cake stall, treasure hunt, raffle and Christmas card making activities.
Anyone attending will have the added bonus of seeing the Punch Bunch in action (ooooh) taking film and images of the day and providing some other stuff to get people involved in the days events.
Whilst the event promises to be full of excitement, it also has a serious goal – to raise funds for Dyslexia Action’s Leeds Learning Fund, an initiative which supports pupils with dyslexia by paying for valuable specialist tuition. The cost of a term for just one pupil is approximately £600, placing it beyond the financial reach of many families. However, Dyslexia Action wants to reduce the barriers to learning and increase employment and life opportunities for more and more people with dyslexia.
In 2011, the charity provided funding for five children per term but this year has only been able to support two youngsters. The hope is that the fundraising efforts will once again enable Dyslexia Action to support five children through the tuition.
Dyslexia Action is also keen to raise awareness about dyslexia and show how, with the right support, people with dyslexia can be highly successful. To demonstrate this, the event will offer guests the opportunity to dress up as famous people who have dyslexia – to reiterate how many household names have found success despite having this hidden disability.
On the day, members of the Dyslexia Action team will also be on hand to offer advice to anyone with dyslexia and their families. Various learning resources including computer software, games and audio books will be available. There will also be the opportunity to chat to other people with dyslexia.
Frances Robertson, acting principal at Dyslexia Action says:
[blockquote] “We offer a wide range of services for people with dyslexia, from study skills for teenagers to helping adults with workplace consultations. We hope that this event will raise awareness of our work and showcase the benefits that our provision can offer, including an improvement in reading and spelling scores, a brighter attitude to learning and an increase in confidence and self esteem enabling people to make fuller contribution to society. [/blockquote]