'I am now able to read magazine I kept for 40 years'

"I've never been able to read - my spelling is really bad and the only thing I could spell was my name," says Ted Midgely.

The 58-year-old left school at 15 unable to read but he "never hid it" and relied on friends and colleagues to help him.

But Mr Midgely, who is based in Derby, decided to change that and after going through lessons he can now read a copy of a Speedway Star magazine he kept for 40 years.

"I had this for so long and I've never been able to read it... it was amazing to do it," he said.

Mr Midgley left a "special school" at 15 - a place he was sent to when he was told he had dyslexia.

"It began when I was at my first school in Bradford," he said.

"They never picked up on it and they told my parents I was lazy but it was only when I went to middle school - they called my parents in and said I was really suffering with my dyslexia.

"But at the time then, they shipped me off to a special school and it wasn't for me. I just kind of didn't do school - it wasn't a pleasant place."

Mr Midgely said he hardly attended the school and went to work in a textile mill.

He explained that his friends used to say "you don't look dyslexic" as if it was a "deformity", but he added "those were the times".

"I couldn't even read a text message - I can now but really obscure words I'd struggle (with)," he said.

Speedway has played a major part in Mr Midgely's life.

He was a former mascot for Bradford Speedway - Mr Bear - which is why he's called Ted, even though his first name is Steven.

He also trained as a speedway mechanic, travelling around the world for races, and now works for Joe Hughes International in Allenton, Derby, which makes speedway parts.

But it was after a meeting with a professional motorcycle racer that he took the decision to learn to read.

"I got involved with a young chap from Australia called Brayden Elliot and it's gone really well and I want to become his manager - that's what I'd like to do. But to do that I need to read emails."

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."

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