SOME OF OUR FRIENDS: CELEBRITY SUPPORT

The DI continues to benefit from the tremendous support of many leading celebrities.  Some of these are mentioned below.

Ken Follett - Top selling author Ken Follett succeeded Susan Hampshire as president of the Dyslexia Institute.  

Taking up his appointment as President, Ken said, 'Having been associated with the Dyslexia Institute (D1) for over 5 years, I am very much aware of its important role across the UK in helping young people and adults who needlessly struggle to read and write as a result of dyslexia. I very much look forward to helping the DI to take full advantage of  new opportunities to increase the levels of support available to children and adults.'  For more information on Ken Follett visit his website at www.ken-follett.com

DI President Ken Follett pictured at the opening of the extension to the Coventry Institute. Also shown are pupil Acer Wake with his mother Mandy, and Centre Prinicpal Helen Boyce.

Tenor John Hudson (pictured far right) launching the D I's spelling and reading test with the help of Ken Follett (3rd from left) and pupils from the DI Centre in London.  

James Mackenzie-Robinson - The Institute was formally presented with a cheque for £500 by Crossroads' star Ray Dobbs, alias James Mackenzie-Robinson, a dyslexia sufferer himself. James generously donated this money from his participation in a celebrity version of Granada Television's Biggest Game Show in Town. 

The presentation took place at the DI's Centre in Nottingham. Oona Oakland, Principal of the Centre received the cheque on behalf of the DI. She also showed James around the Centre and introduced some of the DI students.

Susan Hampshire OBE - Miss Hampshire, still so widely identified as Fleur Forsythe, a role that won her an Emmy Award in 1970, was President of the Dyslexia Institute from 1995-1998 and still remains closely involved with the charity and its work. In 1995 Susan was awarded an OBE for her services to dyslexic people. Her contribution to the greater awareness and understanding of dyslexia has been outstanding - she has travelled throughout the UK meeting and inspiring dyslexic people and their families. In her autobiography, 'Susan's Story' she chronicled her own battle against dyslexia and how it took her years to summon up the courage to speak openly about her difficulties.  Susan has been seen more recently in the BBC TV serial 'Monarch of the Glen'.

Susan Hampshire and former DI Executive Director, Liz Brooks, are pictured with DI students enjoying a ride on the London Eye at the launch of the As I See It competition.

Duncan Goodhew MBE - Known throughout the world for his Gold Medal swimming triumph at the Moscow Olympic Games in 1980, Duncan Goodhew has also played a leading role in raising the profile of the condition and levels of support for dyslexic people. As a dyslexic person himself, and after having struggled during his own school years, Duncan has been a keen and enthusiastic supporter of the charity, attending many events around the UK. He became a Vice President of the Dyslexia Institute in 1995.

Ken Follett and Susan Hampshire are pictured with Barbara Follett and Jimmy Hill at the Abracadabra ABC Banquet held at Fishmonger's Hall London.  During the evening the original illustrations for the Alphabet Gallery were expertly auctioned by Jimmy Hill and raised £60,000 for the Dyslexia Institute Bursary Fund.

The third Annual Dyslexia Awards Dinner held at the Dorchester Hotel on 2nd November 2004 proved a great success, raising over £112,000.   Over 370 people attended the dinner and fundraising auction.

The Awards were presented by Lord Harris of Peckham, Lord Puttnam of Queensgate, former football manager and broadcaster Jimmy Hill and DI Bursary Fund Chair Liz Brooks. Those  honoured were Lord Hindlip, Eddie Izzard, Ron Shaw and Professor Tim Miles and his wife Elaine. Lord Hindlip, who is a long-term supporter of the DI, conducted the auction. The multi-talented Eddie Izzard also ‘sang for his supper’ captivating the audience with his own brand of humour.

Professor Miles and his wife have been pioneers in the field of  dyslexia for over fifty years, most of it based at the University of Wales, Bangor.  They were presented with the Jill Radnor Award for Services to      Dyslexia in memory of another great DI supporter, Lady Radnor, who died in March.

Ron Shaw has been a most generous supporter of the DI for many years. He left school at fourteen with little formal education but became a very successful businessman with ‘a burning enthusiasm and classic dyslexic approach to think laterally, a creative view to problems and the belief that failure is not an option’. 

The auction consisted of seven lots including a luxury holiday to South Africa, an exclusive bronze by    leading equestrian sculptor Phillip Blacker, and a chance to tour the BAR Formula 1 factory and attend   testing at Silverstone. There was also a silent auction with 29 lots which ranged from a signed Chelsea FC shirt to a day on Time Team with Tony Robinson.

This year’s Awards Dinner Committee was chaired by actress and founder of Personal Presentation, Julia Goodman, who writes  ‘For me this was to be an exciting but quite new challenge. I have been a supporter of the DI for nearly ten years now but being the chair of the Awards Dinner has given me a real insight and understanding. I have found this task constantly challenging but always stimulating. Most of all it has     convinced me of how much work there is to do in this area. I hope to be able to go on serving the Institute, in some form, in the future’.

The grateful thanks of all at the DI and the many people who will benefit from this event go to all those who so generously donated their time, their talents and their money to make this event so successful.