Lady Corder to become Dyslexia Day Centre Patron

Sunday 28 January 2018

The Dyslexia Day Centre celebrates its first anniversary at its new premises today. To mark the occasion Lady Corder has agreed to become patron of the charity and will officially open the centre with Guy and Julia Hands; who have been long-standing supporters.

The centre's new headquarters are based at the site of the old St Andrews Primary School and comprises of three teaching rooms and a library for past and present pupils, which doubles up as a further teaching and skills area.

The centre employs a manager and seven teachers who provide tuition and support to 150 pupils on average, both in school and at the centre. Additionally, the centre carries out student assessments and teaches adults, assisting those who might have been left behind by the system or hidden their condition. It relies on funding from various sources including; a States grant, an annuity scheme, donations and charity events as well as after-school tuition fees.

Pictured: The entrance to the new facility at the former primary school

Mike O’Hara, Chairman of the Dyslexia Day Centre, said: ‘It only seems like yesterday that the Centre opened its doors to help Dyslexic children and here we now are, 31 years later, achieving this major stepping stone enabling us to advance our offering and to increase its services throughout the community. We are looking forward to the challenges. We could not have done this without the wonderful generosity of the Island for which we are truly thankful.’’

Guy and Julia Hands have been long-term supporters and fundraisers of the charity and in recognition of their support there is a room dedicated to them. The room will be used daily for teaching training, workshops and meetings as well as for general use by the pupils.

Guy Hands said: ‘The Dyslexia Day Centre provides vital teaching services to dyslexic young people and adults in Guernsey and both Julia and I are proud to support the charity. As someone who has struggled with dyslexia myself, I know how important it is to have specialist support. We would like to thank everyone involved for their continued hard work and wish them the very best in their new headquarters."

The Dyslexia Day Centre is a charity which was established in 1986 to provide specialist tuition, assessments, support and advice to islanders affected by dyslexia. The centre has taught more than 4,500 pupils in those 31 years and notably received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2011 for its work within the island community.

For more information about the Dyslexia Day centre or to become a sponsor, please visit their website

Pictured: Lady Corder