Derby man now able to read magazine he kept for 40 years

Mr Midgely has been taught to read by Duncan Livsey from Read Easy Derby and District.

He said Mr Midgely has had one-to-one sessions twice a week for 30 minutes.

“He’s been brilliant. Because Ted’s so positive he’s been so easy to teach – it’s been so rewarding and I get a buzz each time I sit down with him, ” he said.

Mr Livsey said the amount of adults who can’t read is more common than people think.

He added: “There must be thousands of people in Derby, hundreds of thousands across the country who either can’t read at all or who have got real big barriers.

“A lot of these [barriers] are similar to what Ted’s spoken about… and a lot of people don’t have the confidence so they won’t seek help.”

Mr Midgely said one of his biggest achievements was reading his 40-year-old copy of Speedway Star and he was overjoyed recently to finally read a column about former Halifax speedway rider Kenny Carter.

He said: “I had this for so long and I’ve never been able to read it… it was amazing to do it. I was so pleased that I read it I was buzzing.”