Former three-time world champion Formula One racing driver Sir Jackie Stewart OBE will make a rare public appearance in Scotland next week as he heads to Musselburgh to talk about living with dyslexia.

Sir Jackie will speak about his personal experiences at Queen Margaret University on Wednesday, as it hosts ‘An Audience with Jackie Stewart’ in front of more than 200 people.

The special public event, which aims to raise awareness of dyslexia and improve access to higher education, gives the audience the opportunity to ask the former World Champion direct questions about how he deals with the condition.

Sir Jackie left school at 15 years of age, but his dyslexia was not diagnosed until much later. He found his personal voice in sport; first as an Olympic-class shot, then as a three-time world champion motor racing driver.

He is now president of Dyslexia Scotland and vice-president of the British Dyslexia Association, and is a long standing campaigner for better support for people affected by the condition.

Sir Jackie said: “The world of education has a lot to answer for. There is still an enormous amount of work to be done for people with learning disabilities to be looked after sufficiently well for them to have the benefits that will allow them to enjoy the opportunities to be given the help and assistance required to exercise their full potential in life.” Sir Jackie is vice-president of the Scottish International Education Trust. As well as being awarded an OBE in 1972 and being knighted in 2001, he holds eight honorary doctorates from US, Scottish and English universities.

The university was delighted to welcome Sir Jackie and host the event.

Professor Petra Wend, principal and vice-chancellor of QMU, said: “QMU is committed to supporting students with dyslexia as part of our continued work to improve access to higher education.

“It is therefore a great honour for us to welcome Sir Jackie Stewart to the university to talk about his personal experiences of dyslexia.” An Audience with Jackie Stewart begins at 3pm in the Halle Lecture Theatre at QMU. The event is free but ticketed. Tickets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. To book your place, email SJS@qmu.ac.uk or call Shereen Fazeli on 0131 474 0000.

Meanwhile on the Wednesday night, the university will be holding an open evening for people wanting to learn about postgraduate courses available at the Musselburgh campus.

QMU’s team of academic staff will be on hand between 5.30pm and 7.30pm to talk people through more than 40 postgraduate courses. People can also take the opportunity to have a one-to-one chat about developing their personal skills and knowledge, enjoy a tour around the campus or tap into advice on everything from applications to funding.

QMU offers a niche range of postgraduate degree courses, ranging from business management to public relations, hospitality and a range of occupational therapies.

For those who are unable to attend the postgraduate open evening in person, but are still interested to learn more about postgraduate study opportunities at QMU, there is a special ‘virtual’ postgraduate open day taking place online between 9am and 7.30pm on Wednesday. QMU’s academic team will be talking online, throughout the day, about a range of postgraduate courses available at the university.

To register your interest for the QMU postgraduate open evening, and for more information on the ‘virtual’ open day online, go to www.qmu.ac.uk