What Read Easy does

Read Easy UK is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (registered charity 1151288) founded in 2010-2011 by Ginny Williams-Elis, headquartered in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire. The organisation delivers free, confidential, one-to-one reading coaching to adults in England who cannot read or struggle with basic literacy. Service delivery is entirely volunteer-led through a federated network of nearly 100 local groups, each operating with Reading Coaches, Coordinators, and Management Teams, and hosting twice-weekly half-hour sessions primarily in library venues with some online delivery via Zoom and WhatsApp.

The core product is the Turning Pages phonics-based reading programme, licensed from the Shannon Trust and comprising 45 graded reading books written specifically for adults, supplemented by the Moving Ahead second-stage programme that develops writing skills and progression to further education. An adult reading journey typically takes a minimum of two years. Volunteer Reading Coaches complete a structured training programme before delivering sessions. The organisation also runs a Pioneer Programme that recruits and supports volunteers to establish new groups in areas of high need, using Regional Advisers and a resource bank.

Read Easy operates as a non-profit with no government funding, relying entirely on donations and grants channelled through JustGiving, Easyfundraising, and direct fundraising. Pricing to end users is zero, and the value chain is supported by referrals from Job Centres, social services, and community word-of-mouth. The market opportunity is significant, with 2.4 million adults in England reported as unable to read or barely able to read, and the organisation has stated an ambition to double annual Readers coached to 3,000 by 2029 under Chief Executive Carla Priddon, who succeeded the founder in April 2022.

Name

Read Easy

Legal name

Read Easy UK

Website

https://readeasy.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Read Easy UK is a registered charity providing free, confidential, one-to-one reading coaching to adults across England through nearly 100 volunteer-led local groups, using the Shannon Trust's Turning Pages phonics programme, and funded entirely by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Literacy Education

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Foundational Reading & Writing Literacy (EDAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Literacy & Reading Intervention (Phonics, Fluency, Comprehension) (EDAKADAA), Reading Intervention & Remediation (Decoding, Fluency, Comprehension) (EDAKAJAD)

Keywords

• Adult literacy tutoring
• Reading coaching services
• Phonics reading programmes
• Volunteer education charities
• Literacy nonprofit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Moreton-in-Marsh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Read Easy UK operates as a charity relying entirely on grants and donations to set up and support local groups. The charity receives no government funding. Donations fund volunteer training, resources, and group establishment costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Read Easy UK provides free, confidential, one-to-one reading coaching to adults who want to learn to read, delivered by trained volunteers through a network of nearly 100 local groups across England. Coaching is based on the Turning Pages phonics-based programme (45 graded books written for adults) published by the Shannon Trust, with a follow-on Moving Ahead programme. Sessions take place twice weekly for 30 minutes in approved local venues or remotely via video call.

Product overview

Read Easy UK provides a free, confidential, one-to-one reading coaching service for adults who struggle with reading. The core offering consists of the Turning Pages Programme (a phonics-based reading methodology published by the Shannon Trust with 45 graded adult reading books) and the Moving Ahead Programme (the second-stage progression). Coaching is delivered by trained volunteers through locally-run affiliated groups across England. The organisation also supports the establishment of new groups through its Pioneer Programme, which provides Regional Adviser support, a Pioneer Handbook, and comprehensive resources for volunteers looking to start new groups in underserved communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Turning Pages Programme Phonics-based reading programme published by the Shannon Trust, comprising manuals and 45 graded reading books written especially for adult learners. Used as the primary coaching methodology in Read Easy's one-to-one reading sessions, taking learners systematically through the learning process at their own pace over a minimum of about two years.
• Moving Ahead Programme Second-stage programme designed to follow the Turning Pages curriculum, broadening readers' skills, developing writing abilities and encouraging independence so readers can move on to further education and everyday reading tasks.
• One-to-One Reading Coaching Free, confidential, one-to-one reading coaching sessions delivered by trained volunteers to adults who want to learn to read. Sessions are held twice weekly for 30 minutes in approved local venues such as libraries or online via video call.
• Reading Coach Training Structured training programme for volunteer reading coaches, equipping them to deliver the Turning Pages phonics-based programme effectively to adult learners in their local community.
• Pioneer Programme Programme for individuals looking to establish new Read Easy volunteer-led groups in areas of high need, supported by Regional Advisers, a Pioneer Handbook and a comprehensive resource bank.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.4 million adults in England cannot read or struggle with reading - significant unmet need in the market
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Shannon TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Read Easy uses the Turning Pages phonics-based reading programme published by the Shannon Trust. Founder Ginny Williams-Ellis originally worked as a literacy tutor at Dorchester Prison running the Shannon Trust's prisoner-to-prisoner reading programme, which inspired her to create Read Easy for the wider community.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Streetwise Opera: UK charity using arts and literacy to support people affected by homelessness and other disadvantages; thematic peer in using skills-building to support marginalised adults.
• RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People): Major UK disability charity offering reading services (e.g. accessible books) to adults who cannot read standard print; adjacent peer serving a portion of Read Easy's reader base.
• BookTrust: UK children's reading charity; adjacent literacy peer with national reach that competes for literacy-focused donor funding.

Emerging players

• British Dyslexia Association: National charity supporting dyslexic individuals, many of whom Read Easy serves; an emerging peer that addresses reading difficulties through a different (specialist/disability) lens.
• Good Things Foundation: UK digital-inclusion charity that increasingly overlaps with adult literacy and essential skills; an adjacent peer addressing functional literacy through digital channels.
• Prisoners' Education Trust: UK charity funding education for people in prison, overlapping with Shannon Trust/Read Easy on prison-to-community literacy pathways; smaller in direct coaching but a relevant adjacent literacy peer.

Direct peers

• Bookmark Reading Charity: UK charity that recruits and trains volunteers to provide one-to-one reading support to children; uses a similar volunteer-led, phonics/reading intervention model in adjacent literacy segments.
• The Reading Agency: UK charity focused on reading enjoyment and literacy skills across age groups; a directly comparable adult and family literacy peer with overlapping library-venue delivery model.
• National Literacy Trust: Major UK literacy charity working across children, young people and adults; the most prominent national literacy competitor and a potential funder/partner for Read Easy's adult-focused work.
• Shannon Trust: UK charity that runs the Turning Pages phonics-based reading programme for prisoners; Read Easy's core methodology and content comes from Shannon Trust, making it both partner and the closest functional peer in adult literacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ReadEasyUK
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfY5PbKGyfj1gXjgeKcwA3g
• Facebookfacebook.com/ReadEasyUK
• Instagraminstagram.com/readeasyuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/read-easy-uk

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Read Easy