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…
After six months out of schools due to Covid-19 it was wonderful to reboot my school events with a visit to St Johns CE Primary, Blackpool. Year 4 had been studying one of my Impossible Tales and reading Eric Appleby: Zero To Hero as their class reader. During the morning, we picked apart an ‘unseen…
Due to the ongoing global pandemic, life for most of us has been put on hold. As of March 16th 2020 all of my events for the forseeable future were cancelled or postponed. All that matters at the moment is that everyone stays safe and well. Whilst I am unable to make it in person…
2020 kicked off with a busy first half-term! I visited ten primaries and two libraries across the North West, delivering storytelling sessions and writing workshops. Highlights included a first-time visit to Wigan when I shared stories at Standish library as part of National Storytelling Week – what a treat that was! Hopefully I’ll get to…
It’s been a flying start to the new academic year. I’ve visited seventeen schools, some multiple times, during the Autumn Term. There’s been a few that I’ve previously visited, as well as sharing stories and writing with pupils in schools that were new to me. I even took part in the celebrations to open a…
It’s always great to spend time in lots of fab libraries whilst the schools are closed for the summer holidays and this year were no different. I held writing workshops for Blackpool libraries and Lancashire libraries and performed my stories at some of their libraries too. Big thanks to the staff at Palatine Library, Moor…
The academic year finished with a blur of events! I visited eleven primary and high schools to share stories and write with the pupils, delivered a guest speaker presentation at a reading conference and performed my stories at reading festivals in Blackpool and Barrow-in-Furness. Writing the books is ace, but getting out on the road…
This event is one of the highlights of my storytelling year and I was thrilled to bits to be invited back for a sixth Family Day appearance. The theme for the day was ‘Out Of This World’ so Stanley Park in Blackpool was filled with lots of space themes and aliens. Performances, storytelling and lots…
It has been great to work with the staff at some local libraries to organise a range of public events. I’ve delivered writing workshops with local children at Fleetwood Library on Saturday mornings, visited the library @TheGrange in Blackpool to celebrate the first birthday of the building and made a welcome storytelling return to Freckleton…
Another busy term saw visits to twenty primary schools and a high school where I delivered author assemblies, writing workshops and storytelling sessions. In addition, there was a guest speaker slot at the launch of an English Hub in Blackpool and a storytelling appearance at a reading festival in Preston. Phew! Take a look at…