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For some reason, i've decided that running excessive distances and putting myself through large amounts of pain is the way I want to spend the next six and a half months.  However, its for a fantastic cause - Volunteer Reading Help aim to act against illiteracy in some of the poorest areas of the country and thereby prevent some of the larger social and healthcare issues that can arise from an inability to read.  They are a smaller charity and therefore your money, (should you choose to donate and I know you will you generous, handsome/beautiful scamp) will go all the further and have a much more identifiable effect. For more information on the charity please see below.  I'll be updating the page over the coming weeks and months with how training's going along with my general thoughts on life and society.  So you know it'll be good.  Failing good, passable. Cheers xox   Illiteracy - The scale of the problem Almost one in five children left primary school last year unable to read to the required standard – and this is the same today as it was five years ago. Far too many of them at age eleven had a reading age lower than the average seven year old – and again there has been no change in five years. Latest Government statistics show the scale of the problem: <ul style="margin-top: 0cm;"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Only 84% of pupils achieved the expected level of reading in 2011 Key Stage 2 SATs (Level 4 or above) – the same as in 2007</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">7% of pupils achieved the expected level of a seven year old (Level 2 or below) – the same as in 2007</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">One in 10 boys leave primary school with the reading age of a seven-year-old </li> </ul>   Almost one third of children receiving free school meals failed to reach the required reading standard. Research shows that many of these children will fall further behind in secondary school. The resulting consequences associated with educational underachievement are widespread and catastrophic for the life chances of young people.  The impact of illiteracy Illiteracy is closely linked with long term poverty, unemployment, ill-health and/or involvement with the criminal justice system.  <ul style="margin-top: 0cm;"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">22% of men and 30% of women with literacy equivalent of a seven year old live in non-working households</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">70% of pupils permanently excluded from school have difficulties in basic literacy skills</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">25% of young offenders are said to have reading skills below those of the average seven year old</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">60% of the prison population is said to have difficulties in basic literacy skills</li> </ul>   There is also a cost to society. It has been estimated that illiteracy costs the UK between £1.73 billion to £2.05 billion a year. This takes account of lost productivity, lost earnings and the cost of crime, to name but a few. The work of VRH Volunteer Reading Help (VRH) is a national charity that gives one-to-one literacy support to children in primary schools in the most deprived areas of England.  Each week we support over 5,000 children through over 1,800 volunteers in 1,100 schools and we continue to grow each year.  In the next five years we aim to be supporting nearly 10,000 children each week. <a></a>  The children we work with are chosen by their teachers because they struggle with reading and urgently need one-to-one support.  Our trained network of reading helpers support the same children week in, week out, giving each an hour of quality, one-to-one time. They read, they play, they talk. With the support of VRH their approach to learning and enjoying is often transformed. Their confidence, self esteem and reading standards improve - our latest evaluation showed that:   ·       96% of children showed improved reading performance ·       96% of children showed an improved attitude to reading and confidence in reading ·       96% of children showed an improvement in overall achievement ·       94% of children showed an improvement in general confidence and self esteem ·       92% showed an improvement in motivation ·       78% of schools said that they would benefit from having more VRH volunteers   Ours is a low-cost and sustainable intervention that reaches children before they leave primary school and tailors the help to their individual needs.   Through our model, £330 pays for one-to-one reading support for a child for a whole year. £1,000 will enable 3 children to become confident and literate for life. It costs VRH just 91p per day to provide one-to-one reading support to a child and the hope of a brighter future.

Denry does the London Marathon. Poorly.

Denry does the London Marathon. Poorly.

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