The literacy services of the Reading Clinic, where demand has soared, have been buoyed by a $10,000 donation from Axis Capital Holdings Limited.

The grant will support the charity’s services, including assessment and tutoring for children with learning differences.

Calls for the Clinic’s services rose “substantially” in the past fiscal year, executive director Glenn Faries said.

“We were up by 34 per cent, both in terms of numbers of students as well as hours of direct service provided, with significant gains being seen in all four of our major programmes.”

Keeping abreast of the need was “imperative”, Dr Faries added: more than half of students require bursary assistance.

“The unfortunate consequences of unaddressed learning issues, such as low self-esteem, delinquency, truancy, high dropout rate, and the tendency to become involved in criminal activity can be avoided, thanks to the generous philanthropy of Axis Capital Holdings Limited, and other like-minded corporations, individuals and foundations.”