Herald - Issue 425

Page 18 • The HERALD • 23rd June 2022 v PROUD TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1994 v Your Local Professional Electrician • Complete Rewires • Periodic Inspection Reports • Fault Finding & Repair • New Consumer Units • New Circuits • Central Heating Wiring • Extra Sockets/Lights • PAT Testing • No Job Too Small • Part P Registered • Fast & Efficient Service • Free Estimates Telephone Gary on 07788 865081 forestelectrical@gmail.com HANDY HANDS HANDYMAN S E RV I C E S Your Local Handyman For ALL Your Small Jobs • Gutter Clearance & Clearing • PVCu Fascias, Gutters, Soffits & Conservatory Cleaning • Pressure Cleaning of Paths & Patios •Window Cleaning • Interior & Exterior Painting • Grass Cutting, Strimming • Hedge Trimming • Shed Re-treated/ Roofs Re-felted • Flat Pack Assembly Fully Insured Free Estimates Work Guaranteed References on Request T: 023 8084 0096 M: 07840 860202 New Forest Scaffolding All aspects of scaffolding undertaken • Extensions • Chimneys • Re-Roofing • New Builds etc For a friendly, local, reliable service and a free quotation Telephone: 07734 476855 www.newforestscaffolding.co.uk Full Liability Insurance Lychette Cottage, Roughdown, Blackfield SO45 1XG Coaching for Read Easy: One of the Best Things I’ve Ever Done Read Easy Southampton is a local charity that provides coaching to adults who struggle with reading or cannot read. Every adult joining the scheme is paired with their own personal coach who provides private and con dential tuition in an approved safe space. e service is free and all the coaches are volunteers. Lucy joined the group as a coach last year and talks about her role and experience of working with the project. is interview was conducted by the publicity organiser from Read Easy Southampton. How did you find out about Read Easy? I found out about the scheme in a newsletter from Southampton City Council. I attended a public meeting over zoom in March 2021 and then decided to apply to become a coach. I had an interview in August 2021 and a er my coaching training I was paired with my reader in the Autumn. What made you interested in becoming a coach? My mother and my auntie always gave me book tokens as a child; weekly trips to the library were a treat I always looked forward to. I was lucky to grow up in a house where reading was highly valued and had lots of encouragement. When I started work, I had a job on the front desk of a bene ts o ce. I regularly encountered adults who could not read and could see their embarrassment and lack of self-con dence. is made a big impression on me, wondering how people coped with such a huge di culty and I have never forgotten this. Can you describe the training that is provided for coaches? e course takes place over zoom and is split into two sessions of three and a half hours. You receive literature in advance to read at home. e reading lots of time to build a trusting relationship. ere is no pressure to meet timescales and I make sure there is no sense of failure. It is all about the enjoyment of learning, not rushing to meet a goal or ‘get it right’. Seeing the reader gaining con dence and sharing their successful moments is very ful lling. I feel the relationship strikes the right balance between being professional and friendly. We meet our readers in local libraries and other approved safe spaces, always ensuring there is privacy for the session. How has taking part in the project made a difference to your life? I meet with my reader twice a week for 30 minutes. I value these sessions so much; it is enormously ful lling to know I am providing a safe space for them and to make it a pleasant experience. I knew I wanted to try a new challenge and becoming a coach has been fantastic – I’m doing something that is making a real di erence and working with a wonderful group of people. No one should feel le behind or diminished because they cannot read. For me, at the heart of this project is how much I believe in what I am doing. I can honestly say it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. If this story has inspired you to consider joining them at Read Easy Southampton as a coach, please contact Naomi Clarke on 07714 444244 or email: southamptonrecruiter2@readeasy.org.uk For any questions about the service they o er to people wishing to improve their literacy skills please contact Allison Walker on 07392 517334 or email: southamptoncoordinator@readeasy.org.uk manuals and the coaching process are explained, with opportunities to practice in break out rooms with two or three others. is made it feel friendly and intimate. A er this you are paired with your reader and introduced to each other in person by the coordinator. You begin your sessions and a er a couple of months into the programme, you receive consolidation training. is provides you with further tools and exercises such as word games and adds variety to your coaching sessions. e whole experience was really collaborative, and I enjoyed it very much. What has your experience of coaching your reader been like? I have found it really inspiring. e best thing about Lucy, Read Easy Coach Read Easy is that is gives the coach and the reader Hendy Supports SERV Wessex – The Blood Runners A charity which delivers blood p r o d u c t s , urgent samples and medication a c r o s s H a m p s h i r e , East Dorset and South Wiltshire has been given a boost thanks to - e Blood Runners with a car for its vital work. e Kia Niro has been donated for two years and will help the charity in its work across the region which sees SERV Wessex operating an out of hours service during the week and 24 hours at weekends and public holidays 365 days of the year. Volunteers transport a wide range of products to hospitals and patients, and it also replenishes blood and plasma carried on the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. “The majority of the mileage covered is by our volunteers using their own vehicles and paying all their own costs. We have a small fleet of marked bikes and cars, which the volunteers can use to help with costs,” said Robert Smith, chair of SERV Wessex . “Your car will be crucial in allowing us to continue to provide our service to the NHS and community and also help support our volunteers, even more so with the rising costs of fuel and living costs.” e Kia Niro supplied by Hendy will be used across the region and Hendy commercial director Mark Busby said that charities such as SERV Wessex provide a vital function in the community. “So many people benefit from the work of this incredible charity and we hope that providing the Kia Niro for the next two years the volunteers will be able to carry on their work which supports the work of the NHS.” The SERV Wessex team pick up the Kia Niro Hendy Group which has supplied SERV Wessex