Dozens of events across the country will celebrate all things left-handed, but the 7th annual Left-Handers Day has a serious message, organisers say.

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Right-handed designers and teachers will be urged to pay extra attention to the needs of the 10% of the UK's population who are left-handed.

Lauren Milsom, founder of the Left-Handers Club, says problems start from an early age with around one million children condemned to a life of awkward handwriting because teachers do not recognise their problems.

She wants awareness of the handwriting needs of left-handed children to be a compulsory part of primary school teacher training.

"Left-Handers Day might seem frivolous but there is a serious message behind it," said Mrs Milsom.

"More and more gadgets are designed for convenience, but it's the convenience of right-handers that they have in mind."

She also argues that the prevalence of rulers and scissors designed for right-handers is the reason behind the traditional view that left-handed children are slower and less dextrous than their right-handed peers.

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Events for the awareness day include a series of 'left-limb-only' sporting events, including cricket, badminton and bowls.

British Telecom is prohibiting all right-handed eating in the staff canteen at its Oxford offices for the day. Pub chain O'Neills is also making all its bar staff tie their right hands behind their backs.

Frustrated left-handers can also try out a range of left-handed gadgets at stalls to be set up in city centres around the country.

Customers will be able to try out left-handed computer keyboards, knives and reverse-opening cheque books to improve their quality of life.

Other gadgets such as anti-clockwise watches and left-handed kettles, however, might prove less useful.

About six million people, 10% of the population, are left-handed. This represents a rise from 5% in the 1930s and 6% in the 1950s, suggesting that society's traditional prejudice towards right-handers is fading away.