TWO new Read Easy Bath readers received certificates on completing their reading journey.

Their work has recently been supported with a £2,500 donation from the Midsomer Norton-based Sperring Charity.

Since 1990, the Sperring Charity has supported hundreds of local people in Midsomer Norton and surrounding areas with grants ranging from £50 to £5,000.

Read Easy Bath team leader Caroline Cronin said: “Read Easy Bath is a voluntary group affiliated to Read Easy UK.

“We offer free, confidential, one-to-one coaching with trained volunteer coaches for adults who, for any number of reasons, cannot read or have limited reading ability.

“We passionately believe that reading changes lives and in the National Year of Reading, there has never been a better time to learn or improve.”

Roger never mastered reading at school and did not have the confidence to ask.

Having worked through the five stages of the Read Easy programme with his coach, Roger said: “I have loved learning to read.

“I now know how to sound out words and am buying myself books and going to the library.”

Called a ‘model pupil’ by his coach Steph Perrett, Roger has wide interests.

He completes Wordsearch puzzles and hopes to enrol on an IT course.

Gary also graduated at the same time.

His learning difficulty made it hard to concentrate at school, but with the help of another charity, SWALLOW, he learned cooking and counter skills at its café in The Hive, Peasedown St John.

Knowing his inability to read was holding him back, he jumped at the chance to learn.

Gary said: “I was nervous at the start, but my coach was so friendly and kind, I soon got going.”

Sperring trustee George Persson said: “We were impressed by Read Easy Bath’s passion for the work it does in the area and wanted to provide support.”