"It's a vicious cycle": Ipswich charity fighting illiteracy given funding
In Ipswich, the charity estimates that 7.6% of adults are unable to read basic transport information and food labels
Last updated 18th Sep 2023
An Ipswich charity aiming to eradicate illiteracy in the town's getting financial support.
Let’s Talk Reading has received £4,000, after arguing its case to the South East Area Committee.
The charity, which is operated by 42 volunteers, will use the money to continue to provide one of its key services, a weekly meeting supporting parents with young babies by encouraging them to read to their children.
Clair Pyper, the lead volunteer at Let’s Talk Reading, sees these services as vital to the babies’ development as well as their relationship with their parents.
She said: “It’s a crucial stage in their development — reading expands their world.
“Children who are brought up reading will tend to do better at school, and better in their future life.”
Having taken on the goal of eradicating illiteracy in Ipswich, the charity also provides a range of other services.
Every year, Let’s Talk Reading gives out thousands of books to families across Ipswich, either through Christmas donations or family bags filled with all kinds of different books everyone in the family can enjoy.
In Ipswich, the charity estimates, that 7.6% of adults are unable to read basic transport information and food labels, with more disadvantaged areas being particularly affected.
Ms Pyper added: “If you can read, you probably don’t believe that it’s as bad as it really is.
“In disadvantaged areas, it could be as high as 1 in 3 adults struggling to read at the level of a nine-year-old.
“There’s no help for adult literacy at all, if you leave school without being able to read, you become really disadvantaged — it’s a vicious cycle.”
This statistic is particularly worrying considering the economic pressures parents have been facing as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.
Ms Pyper continued: “An average softback children’s book is more expensive than several meals, it’s a stark contrast.
“Parents need more support, because they have to prioritise food and bills, and a lot of them just can’t worry about books.”