Abingdon orangutan charity boosted by dyslexic boy's reading challenge

Archie Newton, from Bath, loves stories but struggles with reading due to his condition.

Now, he is taking on a challenge to improve his own reading abilities while aiding the Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS), which is based in Abingdon.

Archie Newton (Image: Sumatran Orangutan Society)

The society works to conserve and restore rainforests in Sumatra, a vital habitat for orangutans and several other species.

Dyslexia, a learning difficulty which hampers reading, writing, and spelling abilities, has made Archie's school life challenging.

It affects working memory and phonological processing, which makes learning to read a near-impossible task.

Possessing the reading age of a seven-year-old at the age of nine, Archie has at times found his condition disheartening.

His mother, Felicity Lindsay, said: "Archie works so hard all of the time but as progress is so slow, it can be frustrating for him.

An orangutan (Image: Zac Mills, The Wildlife Collective)

"By the time he was in Year 4, he had been to four different schools. We are happy that we’ve now found a school which is able to meet his needs."

Archie's love for orangutans inspired him to take up the challenge.

Ms Lindsay continued: "Archie is determined to overcome this challenge.

"He set himself the goal of reading two tricky books, cover to cover, to raise money for the orangutans.

SOS works to protect orangutan habitats (Image: Zac Mills, The Wildlife Collective)

"I’m so proud of him. When he does something like this, and sees people responding so well to his videos with sponsorship or likes, it really helps to encourage him.”

Archie has been sharing his progress with friends and family through light-hearted videos. A GoFundMe page has been set up, which has received £415, with a target of £500.

He said: "I chose this challenge because I’m dyslexic and so it’s really hard for me to read.

"But life is even harder for the orangutans. I love orangutans and I really don’t want them to disappear.

"Reading this book has been extremely tiring for me as it has loads of tricky words in it. But it has been very interesting to read.

Archie Newton (Image: Sumatran Orangutan Society)

"One day, I would like to read exciting books, like Harry Potter.

"I want to say thank you to everyone who has sponsored me – and the orangutans will thank you too."

Rhia Docherty, individual giving manager at SOS, added: "We are thrilled that Archie has taken on this challenge and have been so impressed with his passion and determination.

"Every donation that Archie receives is vital to helping us protect orangutans and preserve their forest home."