Following a quick breather after the school events, the library gigs started in earnest. I returned to my hometown to visit two libraries in Blackpool, performing for two huge audiences. A couple of mornings were spent in St Helens libraries delivering HAF sessions with lovely local families. Wigan libraries invited me to a HAF camp…
The academic year ended with a flurry of visits including trips to Blackburn, Leigh, Fleetwood, Padiham, Wigan and Barrow-in-Furness to name but a few. I even squeezed in a visit to Oldham libraries to take part in the Children’s Literature Festival. This school year, I have visited over fifty schools stretching from Cumbria to Worcestershire…
A seriously busy term started with a visit to Unity Academy, Blackpool at the beginning of January and ended back at Unity just before Easter. Between those visits, I stopped off at just short of thirty schools as well as eight libraries. Visits to Bolton, Wigan, Redditch, Preston, Stockport and Stoke-on-Trent to name but a…
Another Autumn term has drawn to a close and what a cracker it’s been! I’ve visited loads of schools across the North West working with thousands of children, delivered storytelling sessions in libraries and even participated in a community project in Rochdale. I’m going to take some time out over Christmas to rest and recharge…
The sun may have been shining but I didn’t see much of it as I was busy visiting lots of schools! I had a fantastic few months working with twenty schools. From Fleetwood to Rawtenstall, Blackpool to Barnoldswick, Kirkby Lonsdale to Darwen and Barrow to Swinton – I had an absolute blast! I even managed…
What a hectic term that was! Seventeen school visits and six library events were squeezed in, even taking in a virtual stop-off in Suffolk. National Storytelling Week and World Book Day (Month!!) always make this term one of the busiest, but after the Covid troubles of the last couple of years it was great to…
The new academic year started with a bang! Autumn Term kicked off with two days of visits in Redditch, Worcestershire, which was very exciting indeed. School sessions quickly followed in Blackpool, Chorley, St Helens and Preston. In total, I worked in-person with pupils in nineteen schools this term which was magical after the extreme challenges…
The final half term of the academic year saw a flurry of visits as I rebooted my in-person visits. I had the pleasure of working with the Year 3 pupils at Unity Academy, Blackpool, creating fearsome pirate characters. An afternoon visit to St Catherine’s Academy, Bolton, was spent telling stories and answering lots of questions…
If I’m honest, I was worried that WBD 2021 might not be able to happen. Covid and repeated lockdowns had changed everything and rather than visiting schools I was busy creating virtual options to keep the book buzz alive. Well I need not have worried! Schools and youth groups adapted, evolved and completely embraced the…
National Storytelling Week 2021 evolved into a two-week storytelling extravaganza! All visits were virtual this year, because of Covid-19, but the storytelling action wasn’t affected. I spent time working with a range of ages, from Nursery to Year 8 in the UK and even overseas. Zooms with schools in Bedfordshire and Lancashire, plus an international…