An Ashford mum said her shock multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis and daughter’s dyslexia inspired her to teach other children to read.

Michelle Kearsey, 48, a former investment bank manager, volunteers with Beanstalk at Phoenix Community Primary School in Kennington.

The mum-of-two, who has suffered with MS for nearly 20 years, struggled to have children of her own.

After three miscarriages and two unsuccessful rounds of IVF treatment, Michelle finally fell pregnant and her daughters Annabel and Philippa are now nine and 11.

She said: "I made the decision to be a stay-at-home mum to my girls, which comes with its own challenges, but is fantastic.

"Keeping them positive and promoting love of learning are big things in our household."

She said this has been particularly vital in helping her daughter deal with her dyslexia.

She added: "Focusing on the fun in reading and not getting hung up on mistakes – instead highlighting how well they’ve overcome a challenging word – really made a difference and now they’re both fantastic, confident readers, way above their reading ages.

"This showed me that with the right support all children can learn to read, and I thought that if I could help just one other child improve their reading then it would bring such a great sense of satisfaction."

Michelle now provides one-to-one support to four boys at Phoenix Community Primary School and says she has noticed a huge improvement in their reading and social skills.

She added: "They’re a lot more focused when they work, but we also have a lot of fun together too.

"We have built up a great relationship – once they were very reluctant readers and now they’re confident and look forward to it.

"It’s not a huge commitment, but it’s so rewarding, and the Beanstalk community is a lovely one to be part of. I’ve made new friends of the other volunteers."