A new charity has been established in Furness to encourage adults who struggle to read to come forward.

'Read Easy Morecambe Bay' is asking people who know of friends and family members who cannot read to encourage them to make a call that could 'transform their lives'.

An extension of the service is already being planned for the Kendal area.

Jeff Chambers, team leader at the charity, said: "Books in schools and libraries aim to inspire children to read for pleasure and read together with their families.

"But parents and grandparents who cannot read are not able to provide this support for their children and their learning, with many missing out on the important bonding time that comes with sharing a bedtime story."

It is estimated that 2.4 million adults across the UK cannot read with 15,000 in the Morecambe Bay area alone.

"For them, everyday tasks such as booking a doctor’s appointment, reading road signs or doing the food shopping can be incredibly challenging," Mr Chambers added.

The organisation offers free and confidential, one-to-one coaching, from trained volunteers.

Coaches and learners meet twice a week at approved local venues, or online, to work for just half an hour at a time through a structured, phonics-based reading programme.

Mr Chambers finished by saying that people should not be embarrassed about coming forward and getting in touch.

"There are lots of different reasons why people don’t learn to read in childhood.

"For some it may have been a lack of support from their own family or school, for others it may have been undiagnosed dyslexia."

The Morecambe Bay branch is an affiliate of the national charity, which gained prominence through its work in the BBC1 documentary ‘Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51'.

For more information about learning to read, locals have been asked to contact Rosalind Ritchie on 07423 547 421 or email mbcoordinator@readeasy.org.uk.

They are also looking for new volunteers to help even more adults, with those interested asked to email mbrecruiter@readeasy.org.uk.