Shropshire man who only 'coloured' at school says learning to read at 60 has 'changed his life'

ITV News Central's Rosie Dowsing reports...

A man from Shropshire who says he was only taught colouring and sports at school has learned to read in his 60s.

Billy Bradley, 61, grew up in Ludlow and spent his working life doing manual jobs - working on chicken farms, in forestry, and as a painter and decorator.

Whilst he did attend school as a child, Billy was moved around to four different schools and says he was never taught how to read and write.

He said: "They stuck me in a class with the same people as me who couldn't read or write - dyslexics you call it - and I learned nothing.

"There were too many of us and just one teacher. We'd just colour in and listen to cassettes, to me it was a disgrace. They let me down big time."

I was scared of learning how to read

Billy was one of approximately 2.4 million adults in England who do not know how to read and write.

The West Midlands  has the second highest percentage of working age adults with very poor literacy in the UK (22%), according to the National Literacy Trust.

Billy said it becomes a problem "when you have a doctor's letter and you know deep in your heart that you can't read it.

"I was scared of learning how to read, I don't know why, but I was."

Billy is a Christian, and enjoys going to church on a Sunday. It was there that a priest spotted that he was unable to read his Bible, and suggested he contact a charity called Read Easy which helps illiterate adults to read and write.

Through the charity's local branch, Read Easy Shropshire Hills, Billy was put in touch with Helen Tranter, his reading coach.

The pair have had bi-weekly Zoom sessions since the Covid-19 lockdown, and Billy says it has "changed his life" and "taken a load off [his] mind".

"It's been a struggle, going through life the way I have," he added.

"You're getting doctors letters, and you think 'what's it about?'. It's very hard.

"That's why I'm glad that Read Easy has taught me everything I need to know. I always wanted to read a Bible, now I know how to go through it."

Helen has seen Billy's confidence grow throughout the learning process, and she says he has made "excellent progress".

"The other day he said to me that when he's watching TV he now puts the subtitles on because he enjoys reading them," she said.

"When he goes to church he can read the words of the hymns, he can read things when he goes shopping, and really importantly he can read letters and instructions on a prescription, which he would have been confused about before."

He's an incredible person

Helen added: "It's incredibly rewarding and I get just as much out of it as Billy does. I really enjoy our lessons.

"He's an incredible person - he's worked really hard in his life and he's had to work extra hard through not being able to read, but he's taking real pleasure in it for himself. That, for me, is rewarding because I'm seeing what he's getting out of it."

Amana Winchester co-ordinates Read Easy Shropshire Hills, and wants to make reading and writing accessible for those living in rural communities.

She said: "You and I take reading for granted, but for these people their lives are so restricted - be it going shopping, reading a recipe, reading an order of service at a funeral.

"It's hugely moving for me to enable these people to have the opportunity to read and for them it is totally life-changing.

"The world is no longer a mystery, they can operate with confidence, they're not spending ages hiding the fact and using different strategies and ensure that no one knows they can't read."

People like us need help

Throughout his life, Billy has felt his inability to read has been a taboo subject. He said: "People like us need help, but people knock us because we can't read or write."

Billy has almost finished his reading course with Helen and is looking towards his next challenge: learning to write.

To fellow adults who have never been taught how to read and write, Billy has this message:

"If it's not too late for me it's not too late for you. Don't leave it, come forward like me and do it. Don't be ashamed that you can't read or write, because I'm not."

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