MELKSHAM charity Read Easy has been awarded £1,000 by Chippenham-based housing group GreenSquare to help cover its costs for offering one-to-one tuition to adults who are struggling with reading.

The charity, which was originally set up in Dorset, helps adults who are struggling to read by helping them build their skills through a volunteer-led, friendly and flexible learning approach.

The grant has been awarded from GreenSquare’s Community Fund, from which a panel of five residents and three staff award small grants to local groups and organisations in the Wiltshire area. It allocates grants four times a year.

Jayne Castell, community involvement administrator, said: “The community fund aims to award grants to projects or organisations that make a difference to the communities where GreenSquare has properties.

“Being able to read is something most of us take for granted, so it’s easy to forget that approximately one in 20 adults in the UK have only a very basic reading level. The volunteers at Read Easy work hard to support people to build their reading skills, confidence and self-esteem. We are pleased to be able to support such a worthy cause.”

Read Easy also runs its adult literacy scheme in a further 20 locations across the country.

Christine Thomson, vice chair of Read Easy, said: “Many adults struggle with reading but are too embarrassed to go to classes. Our one-to-one approach encourages people to come forward for help.”

The deadline for the next round of community fund applications is Monday, August 24.

For more information about the GreenSquare Community Fund, and to find out how to apply for a grant, visit www.greensquaregroup.com and search ‘community fund’.

For more information about Read Easy, visit www.readeasy.org.uk