Look To The Stars News: Dyslexia Action

Charley Boorman Supports Dyslexia Action Poetry Competition

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Actor-turned-motorcycle enthusiast Charley Boorman has launched Dyslexia Action’s new poetry competition.

Boorman, who traveled on motorcycle with Ewan McGregor around the world and through Africa, is president of Dyslexia Action and suffers from dyslexia himself.

The theme of the competition this year – open to any UK child from the age of 7-15 – is “What Makes Me Me?” According to the charity: "The aim of the competition is to help raise awareness of the importance of being able to read and write and is being championed by poet and musician Benjamin Zephaniah who is dyslexic himself and knows how important poetry has been in helping him express his thoughts and feelings.

Harry Potter Prequel Casts Its Charity Magic

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:38:00 +0000

JK Rowling’s 800 word Harry Potter prequel has sold for $48,858, with the proceeds going to charity.

An absent bidder at the auction – held at Waterstone’s Bookstore in London yesterday – paid $59 per word for the short story, which was handwritten on both sides of an A5-size card. As reported earlier, the proceeds from the sale went to the English writer’s association, PEN, and Dyslexia Action.

Twelve other authors and illustrators also contributed stories to the auction, including playwright Tom Stoppard – whose short story raised $7,816 – Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing, and novelists Nick Hornby and Margaret Atwood.

Harry Potter Returns For Charity Gala And Prequel

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:38:00 +0000

Witches and wizards galore crammed a castle in the dark depths of Scotland on Friday night, all in the name of charity.

Harry Potter creator JK Rowling played host to the goulish guests at the ghastly gala held at Harburn House in West Lothian to raise funds for the Scottish Multiple Sclerosis Society. And as well as monstrous music and disastrous dancing (ok, sorry, the alliteration is just getting silly now), there was also an auction with a very special prize donated by the author – the chance to be immortalized as a wizard or witch in a portrait at the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Florida.

The event, which was attended by guests such as Charlotte Church and author Ian Rankin, raised a massive $632,000 for the charity.