Sidcotian Dr Alistair Sims (S: 1997 - 2005) was recently named by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as the UK's 1998th recipient of the Points of Light Award. The Award recognises outstanding individual volunteers, charity leaders or community champions. Alistair's book shop 'Books on the Hill' is based in Clevedon and it was set up by BOTH Press publishing house to fund and produce larger font books for dyslexic readers. The enterprise was launched to help support dyslexic-friendly fiction for children and adults alike. 

Dr Sims, founder and manager of Books on the Hill and BOTH Press said: "BOTH Press has had many heartwarming responses about how the books have helped adult and young readers, enabling them to access reading for pleasure. More than anything we want to give people a choice, while also encouraging a commercial attitude change to how people understand and approach dyslexia. We hope recognition from the UK Government's Points of Light Award helps speed up that process." 

This year BOTH Press publishing house was nominated as a South West England regional finalist for the small Press of the Year category at the British Book Awards. The overall Small Press winner will compete to be crowned Independent Publisher of the Year in an awards ceremony on 15th May 2023. They have also been long listed for the British Science Fiction Association Limited short fiction award with Six Lights Off Green Scar by Gareth Powell, the first time any adult dyslexic friendly fiction has been nominated for a major prize. BOTH Press have released ten books in dyslexic friendly format. They hope the award success will encourage other book publishers to follow in their footsteps.  Alistair regularly comes into School to support our current students with author visits, for which we are very grateful.  

Above: Alistair Sims, with our Librarian Mrs Grist & author Jennifer Killick on a recent visit to School 

Below Alistair shares with us some memories of his time at Sidcot:

·  What did you enjoy most about your time at Sidcot?

Sitting in the library and reading and afterschool sport activities, such as fencing.

·  What were your favourite classes?

People, more than classes were more important to me. My favourite teacher, Mr Bottomley made me feel like I wasn’t a stupid kid with dyslexia, and so I enjoyed and thrived in his History class. After that came Art, and especially the old Art room, as I went there to relax and collect myself if I was feeling stressed.

·  Which lessons were you less keen on?

Maths, English and Science - my dyslexia made these subjects challenging!

·  What / who inspired you to follow a career in Publishing?

More of gradual process, from wanting to be a writer, to now being a publisher.  Being a  publisher was not on my radar then, I wanted to be an author. It was a publisher though who inspired me. Sir Barry Cunningham, the publisher of Harry Potter, and who started Chicken House publishing came to the School to do a talk. I gave him a piece of my writing, which he and Imogen Cooper the editor of Chicken House at the time, went over and gave me feedback on. I was told I genuinely made him laugh in my story. I kept in contact with both of them throughout my time at Sidcot, and University, and now as a bookseller.

·  How did your time at Sidcot prepare you for your career?

Sidcot gave me a confidence  that I could do things. It allowed me to create coping mechanisms that I then used to get to university and then do a PhD. Without Mr Bottomley, and his inspiring presence and teaching, I would never would have the confidence to push myself and so grow both academically and as a person. Mr Bottomley was from North Wales, and I ended up going there to University (Bangor) and he always went to Austria for a holiday, as I remember. The next ‘teacher’ to inspire me, just like Mr Bottomley was my supervisor at Bangor and who was from Austria. This is one of the pleasing coincidences that make me smile. And I think it would have made Mr Bottomley laugh if he was still with us, along-side his ever eccentric socks he occasionally wore.

·  What achievements are you most proud of either in your career or personally?

At a very personal, and selfish level (as everyone is selfish to certain extent) I am so proud of gaining a PhD, which I very almost did not get due to my dyslexia. It was five years of work where at any time it would have been easy to give up. But I managed it. It is a personal achievement I don’t think I will ever top.  On a community level, in making the most difference to people lives, is the setting up of BOTH Press. I know, as I can see it with my own eyes when a customer who is dyslexic comes in to my bookshop and finds our books – that I have made a massive difference to their lives. The look in their eyes. I even had a customer cry because we had these books there for them – we had actually thought about them when no one else had. This will have a legacy far past my own life. I feel that one thing I learnt and honed from being at Sidcot, which perhaps informed on the achievement I had, is a self-awareness of my own personal ‘selfish pride’ and ‘altruistic actions’.  As an individual we are both, and knowing which is which is not an easy thing to know.