‘Dyslexic Me and the APC’ book will raise money for LionHeart
“Everything in this industry and in life is achievable. Sometimes the path just looks a bit different.”
A LionHeart ambassador with dyslexia who faced a long and sometimes challenging route to becoming chartered is to write a book that he hopes will inspire future surveyors.
Chris Lyford MRICS shared some of his story in a recent blog for Dyslexia Awareness Week, in which he explained how beneficial he’d found the support of LionHeart at a point he’d actually considered not sitting his final APC interview at all.
Now the boy who spent his school years in the bottom set for English is due to release his book ‘Dyslexic Me and the APC’ – with some proceeds going to LionHeart as his way of saying thank you for the support he received.
Writing recently on LinkedIn, Chris said: “My training officially finished last year but it feels like now is the right time for the next challenge.
“As some of you know, I didn’t go to university straight after school. My journey to chartership has very much been a world tour to get here. Adding dyslexia into the mix made the process even more challenging at times.
“Over the last year, I’ve spoken to so many people who have shared similar experiences. Different routes, different struggles, the same doubts. It’s clear I’m not alone.
“That’s why I’m writing this book. Not to glorify the journey, but to be honest about it. The setbacks, the pressure, the mistakes, and the lessons learned along the way.”
Looking at the APC process and his own bumps in the road to chartership, Chris said he hoped the book would guide more people into careers in construction and surveying “whether you are academic or non-academic, dyslexic, or simply feel the traditional route was not built for you”.
In his blog for LionHeart, Chris described how he’d left school with just two GCSEs and worked his way up through apprenticeships to become a fully qualified carpenter, then undertaking access modules to be able to enrol on a quantity surveying degree with UCEM (now the University of the Built Environment).
He explained how his dyslexia meant he had gone through his early life as a schoolboy and young apprentice being told he “couldn’t do” things – and instead of coming to believe that himself, it made him want to prove people wrong!
However, despite making massive progress in his surveying career, he almost stumbled when it came to the final hurdle of the APC, especially as he suffered multiple bereavements in the lead-up to final assessment, and wrote: “The support I got from LionHeart was so beneficial. In fact, if it wasn’t for my support officer, Jonas, I don’t think I would have sat my final interview at all. He was so calming, at a time that I was so stressed.”
Chris’s support officer, Jonas Rodin, said: “As a support officer, it's always really rewarding to be told that what you've done has made a difference or helped someone through a particularly challenging time.
“In Chris's case, it's been a pleasure to see him not only successfully become chartered but go on to become an ambassador for LionHeart. We can't wait to see the book in print!”
- ‘Dyslexic Me and the APC’ is due to be released in June 2026. It will be available on Amazon and through Chris’s company website, Ashington Hill.
- Find out more about LionHeart’s support services here
