A book club for those who find it difficult to access the written word is launching in Dawlish this week.

Dawlish Bookworms launches on Tuesday (August 19) and the group will meet at 2pm every Tuesday at The Strand Centre.

Unlike a regular book club, where participants meet to talk about a book they have read, Dawlish Bookworms will have volunteers reading aloud to the group.

‘This is a nice twist, which involves everyone,’ explained Dan Letchford who came up with the idea for the group.

Dawlish Bookworms is aimed at enabling those who might struggle with written text to enjoy literature.

‘I know full well the difficulty in not being able to access literature through the written word,’ said Dan, who is registered blind and uses a guide dog.

‘There are many types of text disability,’ Dan explained. ‘Whether it be somebody who has literacy issues where they find it difficult to read, maybe with dyslexia, or someone with Parkinson’s who may have difficulty holding a book.’

Dan has chosen to keep the group open to all to encourage people suffering from social anxiety to join too.

Dan, who also volunteers with the Men’s Shed, set up a successful accessible book club in his native West Midlands nine years ago.

The volunteer-led group, which is open to anyone who struggles to access literature for whatever reason, was set up at Thimblemill Library in Bearwood, just west of Birmingham.

‘It was a big wrench leaving my club (in Bearwood) behind, but it is in safe hands up there,’ Dan said. So, I thought, why not use the same idea down here in Dawlish. The Strand Centre is the perfect venue.’