I'm supporting Bridges to Books, a campaign raising funds to help dyslexic and neurodivergent individuals access life-changing support through the Davis Methods.

🚶‍♀️📚 Bridges to Books: From Dickens' Childhood Home to His Dream House

As part of the national Bridges to Books fundraising campaign supporting Gifts for Dyslexia, I invite you to join a local charity walk on Saturday, 5 September 2026.

🕙 Meet at 10:00 am

📍 11 Ordnance Terrace, Chatham ME4 6SJ

The Symbolism of the Route

🏠 11 Ordnance Terrace – Charles Dickens lived here from 1817 to 1821, between the ages of five and ten. He later described these years as the happiest of his childhood.

🌉 Rochester Bridge – Along the way, we'll cross the famous Rochester Bridge. This feels especially fitting. Every bridge begins in the imagination of an engineer, someone able to envision what does not yet exist and bring two shores together. Creative, visual-spatial and imaginative thinking are among the strengths often associated with dyslexic minds. For us, Rochester Bridge is more than a crossing over the River Medway – it symbolises the connection between ideas, people and opportunities.

🏠 Gad's Hill Place – Dickens first saw this house as a boy while walking with his father and declared, "If I work hard enough, one day I shall own that house." Years later, as a celebrated author, he fulfilled that dream. He spent the last fourteen years of his life there, writing Great Expectations and many of his later works.

Our walk symbolises a journey from childhood imagination and potential to achievement, literacy and opportunity – helping others build their own bridges to books.

Every step we take will help raise funds for Gifts for Dyslexia, a registered charity providing bursaries to children and adults who might otherwise be unable to access life-changing Davis programmes.

🚶‍♀️ The route is just under four miles each way (around eight miles in total) and takes approximately one and a half hours in one direction. Feel free to join us for the whole walk or simply for part of the journey. Every step helps build bridges to books and opportunities for children and adults with dyslexia.

❤️ Join us for all or part of the walk.

❤️ Support the campaign with a donation.

❤️ Share this post and help us reach more people.

#BridgesToBooks #GiftsForDyslexia #Dickens #RochesterBridge #Chatham #Rochester #Higham #Dyslexia #CharityWalk