A GROUP set up to help dyslexia sufferers in the Ribble Valley has proved so successful it has had to move to new premises.

The activities of the Ribble Valley Dyslexia Association (RVDA) during the last year have been fairly low key due to the work involved in finding and moving to a new home, but now the group is ready to get back into action.

The success of the group and the resources it has been able to buy through various grants, including a £5,000 Lottery Awards for All grant, has meant that it quickly outgrew the space provided at Trinity Community Centre in Clitheroe.

But now, thanks to an initiative by Trinity and a partnership formed between the groups, the association has now moved to new premises at the IT Learning Centre in Henthorn Road, Clitheroe.

Lisa Pissochet, of Hawthorne Place, Clitheroe, set up the group after her son Luke, 10, was diagnosed as a sufferer and it was her determination to learn more about the condition, caused by a "wiring-problem" in the brain, that led to her forming the Ribble Valley Dyslexia Association in 2000.

Today, there are believed to be an estimated 5,000 dyslexics in the Ribble Valley and surrounding areas.

Lisa first knew Luke had a problem when he started struggling at school. "In every other way he's a bright, bubbly, normal child," she explained.

"It was when his teachers said he was struggling and said he was being lazy and messing about that I decided to investigate. I eventually found out he was dyslexic after seeing a programme on the subject which described Luke completely," she said.

Luke's father Richard is dyslexic too and Lisa said she felt there was just not enough provision in the area for people to get any information, other than the internet, and arranged a coffee morning to see what other people thought.

Twenty people turned up and the association got off the ground.

A room was offered to hold meetings on the second Monday of each month at Trinity and a committee of 17 people was formed, chaired by Lisa.

"We got a lot of people coming from the Blackburn and Burnley because the nearest place at the moment which provides support and information is in Preston. When you realise that around 10 per cent of the population is dyslexic, then that means there are a lot of people who will benefit from being able to learn more about the disorder," she added.

As computers can provide a real lifeline to dyslexic people, RVDA has now arranged for a tutor to give IT lessons to children, which will take into account difficulties encountered by sufferers, such as with reading and spelling, but also short-term memory.

However, it is generally accepted that dyslexics often excel in areas involving computer technology and it is thought that other areas of the brain, such as those involved with problem solving and 3D thinking, are often more highly developed and should be encouraged.

The sessions will be held at the centre on Tuesdays, kicking off on Tuesday May 7, from 4.30-5.30pm, with priority given to dyslexic children.

During this time parents can have a coffee and have access to the association's resources.

In the mean time, the group will continue to hold its monthly sessions on the second Monday of the month, from 6.30-8.30pm, at the Henthorn Road centre, with the chance to try out electronic gadgets such as reading pens, talking dictionaries and a series of books on CD ROM.

Anyone wanting to book a place on the IT course should call 01200 425537.