The Birmingham dad who learned to read when he was in his 20s

“It has helped me adapt and I’m learning so much,” he says.

“The confidence I’ve gained is amazing and I see it when I’m with my son [reading and playing] with him.”

Rosalind Venables, from Read Easy, says Johnson’s story is far from unique.

“Many adults who struggle to read spend years hiding it because of the shame they feel. They become incredibly good at masking it,” she explained.

“Most people won’t admit it; they’d rather hide it because obviously you feel ashamed that you can’t read.

“One of the strategies that people use is when they’re spoken to, they say, ‘Oh, I can’t read this because I haven’t got my glasses’ and you can understand them doing that.”

She says poor literacy affects far more than reading books. It can influence employment, relationships, confidence and even whether someone feels able to participate in everyday community life.

For Venables, watching someone gradually discover those opportunities is what makes volunteering worthwhile.

“As a coach, it’s extremely rewarding to see someone progress, and you can feel that their confidence is building and life is changing because we’re opening up a world to these people,” she said.