Yesterday I went for a meeting at a school near Canterbury. They wanted to talk to me about working with their students who are dyslexic.  They asked a lot of questions how my dyslexia affects me.  What both of us will be working on which I’m quite good at is joining up people to work together.  They would like me to talk to their dyslexic students about running a business with dyslexia and my book Go Play in the sand, John. And mentor the students, and what I would like to do is get local businesses to help to mentor the students as well.  In America the mentoring system is used a lot. it is so refreshing to see good schools looking at things from a different angle.

When we got there we were a bit early so we had champagne in the bar looking over the sea. Then we went up to the Lancaster Room and ‘networked’. It was quite a small room so I was not too nervous. We all had to go up on the stage and tell everyone a bit about ourselves. This guy who was the compare asked questions so you didn’t have to remember what to say, which was just as well as I couldn’t write it down anyway.

There were lots of people there who had contracted various conditions and had started up their businesses despite, but I was the only person who had always had hurdles to jump my whole life. I always feel that dyslexia is a hidden disability and that people think ‘the only thing wrong with him is that he can’t read or write’. There were people there in wheel chairs and all sorts. One guy had got so depressed after his sister was murdered that he contracted HIV on purpose!! makes me seem really normal.

Anyway it was nice to see everyone and meet new people. I like doing that – talking to people and finding out all about them. I will talk to anyone I will. Sometimes I suppose it can come across as slightly mad, but I’m just interested in other people’s lives and you never know who you will meet!!