Local MP Caroline Dinenage secured the Prime Minister's praise for an adult literacy project in Gosport today.
During Prime Minister's Questions, the Gosport MP called on David Cameron to visit the local Read & Grow charity for himself. Caroline's question reflects her support for this week's Adult Learning Week, which celebrates and promotes adult learning.
The local MP asked:
"You may be aware that this is Adult Learning Week and Gosport's inspirational Read & Grow charity has just received lottery funds to support the innovative work that they are doing with adult literacy. Can I simply invite the Prime Minister and the Education team to visit Gosport and see for themselves how this work could be rolled out across the rest of the country?"
The Prime Minister expressed his support for the Gosport-based literacy charity, in responding that:
"I think the Hon. Lady is absolutely right to raise this issue. It is a tragedy that there are so many adults in our country who don't have adequate literacy and reading skills because of not being taught properly at school. It is vital that we put that right through initiatives like the one she recommends."
The Gosport charity Read & Grow was started by Andy Paradise, after he was shocked by the very low rates of literacy he witnessed while in Dorchester Prison. Upon his release, he set up Read & Grow to tackle illiteracy, which affects around 1 in 5 adults and over half of the prison population. Caroline visited the charity earlier this week, to celebrate its success in securing lottery funding, and to promote Adult Learning Week.
