A MAN who never learnt to read when he was at school is now active on his village WhatsApp page thanks to the support of charity Read Easy.

38-year-old Mark King from Martin near Fordingbridge said he found things confusing whilst at school and that he needed additional support from his teacher.

Since learning to read with a coach from Read Easy, he is now more involved with his community.

Before he took the leap to get in touch with the charity, Mark relied on his dad to tell him about any interesting news.

Mark said: ““As time went by, I managed without being able to read, but sometimes I felt foolish and I knew I was missing out.

“You can’t be good at everything; some people can draw well and others can run fast. I just hadn’t learnt to read.”

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He said that not being able to read did not affect him too much, but he always knew he was different from other children.

He added: “I was introduced to Read Easy by the mum of my girlfriend who saw an advert on Facebook and convinced me I should give it a go and get in touch, which I did.

A Read Easy spokesperson said Mark was nervous and unsure of himself at the start of the sessions, but coach Paul Givens put him at his ease and, because it was one-to-one, Paul was able to give him his full attention.

Mark said: “I enjoy working with my coach and it seems to work well using Zoom.

“Everything is explained clearly and I have a good memory so I remember things I’m told. Some words take a while to learn, as so many words sound the same, but are spelt differently.”

Since learning to read, he has joined his village WhatsApp community page and can read most of the messages.

Mark said: “My coach told me I am always cheerful and don’t give up. He has time for me and is patient. I am proud of my achievements.”

Read Easy is a charity that provides free one-to-one coaching in public places that have quiet areas.

People who cannot read or would like to volunteer as a coach are asked to email sewrecruiter@readeasy.org.uk or call 07942 382318.