A PRESTON prison officer has been congratulated by the Princess Royal for raising awareness about dyslexia.

Jason Parkington, 35, attended Buckingham Palace, where he was presented with a Butler Trust Award by the charity's patron, Princess Anne, in recognition of his exceptional work in the prison service.

Jason, from Blackburn, who was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was 27-years-old, works at Preston Prison, and is the first dyslexic officer in the service to receive the award (which recognises outstanding work in the prison service).

His tireless crusade has led to increasing understanding of the disability which causes literacy and numeracy problems and his greatest contribution has been to change 'senior office' exams so that dyslexic officers are treated as equals.

"I have got this award for making people stand up and take dyslexia seriously -- my message is that dyslexics aren't stupid, we just need equal opportunities and recognition of our difficulties," said Jason.

The award also credited him for his work with dyslexic prisoners where he has highlighted the links between learning difficulties, low self-esteem and criminology.

Jason hasn't stopped there either, he will now become a member of the Home Office Disability Support group -- assisting dyslexic civil servants nationwide.

Julie Farnworth, head of planning and development at Preston Prison, said: "Jason has undertaken extensive work to enhance the prison service and everyone's understanding of dyslexia."

Preston Prison received three awards in total: a team of officers were recognised for setting up the first night centre, where first time offenders can discuss their concerns of prison life with officers and Kevin Culshaw was honoured for his outreach work -- informing schools about prison life.