Dyslexic teacher Elizabeth's big day as she becomes an MBE

Elizabeth Wilkinson was greeted by the Princess Royal during the investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.

Miss Wilkinson, who has worked tirelessly to promote the skills and successes of people with dyslexia, was named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours last year.

She was joined at the ceremony by her mother, Sue Taylor, father Michael Wilkinson, and her father's partner, Christine Haslam.

She said: “It was an honour to meet HRH The Princess Royal, and to be in a room filled with so many people who have done and are doing so much good.

"It was truly awe-inspiring to be in such amazing company, and to get to share the occasion with my family."

Miss Wilkinson, a 50-year-old mother-of-one from Wellington, is the founder of the National Dyslexia Awards.

She trained to become a specialist teacher after being diagnosed with the condition in her early 30s.

She began researching the condition after discovering her son was having the same problems at school that she had done some 20 years earlier.

She later discovered that she was autistic too.

Miss Wilkinson said she was bursting with pride before the ceremony, and discussed her condition with the Princess.

“The fact that I have been given such an honour for the work I do, is a real boost to my morale and has inspired me to continue doing what I do for as long and I can," she said.

Last year she attended the Queen's funeral after being given a special invitation.

Miss Wilkinson launched the Shropshire Dyslexia Awards in 2015, which aimed to recognise not just the achievements of people with dyslexia, but also employers and educators who support and encourage those with the condition.

The awards were expanded to cover the whole of the West Midlands in 2020, before growing to become a national scheme last year.

"The judges and I are looking forward to reading all the amazing entries from around the UK.”

After training to become a specialist teacher, she she set up her not-for-profit company The Dyslexic Dyslexia Consultant in 2007, and has since trained thousands of business leaders and professionals on dyslexia in the workplace.

Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty which usually manifests mainly as a difficulty with handling language, such as phonics, short-term memory and the ability to perform routine activities without thinking.

It is caused by a difference in how the brain processes information but is unrelated to intelligence or other skills.

Nominations for the 2023 Dyslexia Awards will open in April. For more information and to view this year’s award categories visit https://theddc.org.uk/dyslexiaawards/.