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…
Our Blog
News & Events
You are here:
- Home
- News
Read Article
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…
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…
What an incredibly busy half term! I visited fifteen primary schools, two high schools and an FE college across the North West in a whirlwind eight-week period. I wrote with hundreds of children, performed stories with thousands more and even squeezed in some time working with students who were preparing themselves for life in the…
Most of my writing workshops take place with KS2 children or high school students. Occasionally, I am asked to write with KS1 pupils. When Mrs Kippax asked me to work with her Y1 pupils as part of their ‘Awesome Authors’ topic, I jumped at the chance. The theme for the morning was pirates. To start…
I was booked to visit Stanah on a number of days across a week in October. The first visit kicked off the week with an author assembly. I shared Eric’s new adventure with the pupils during a whole school session. The children listened beautifully throughout. To finish the session, I put on the storytelling waistcoat…
It had been a year to the day since I last visited these schools, so I was excited about returning. The morning saw a trip to St John Southworth RC Primary, Nelson. I looked back over the last five years during the assembly, before introducing the children to Eric’s latest adventure. They heard about the…
I was excited to make two trips to Benjamin Hargreaves CE Primary, Accrington, in September. The first morning visit started with a KS2 author assembly. The children listened brilliantly as I explained the events of the last five years in forty minutes! I even managed to put on the storytelling waistcoat to share an Impossible…
Carleton Green is a short walk from my home and it’s a school I’ve built great links with over the last five years. It was lovely to return to be part of their ‘Reading Day’, which kicked off with a storytelling assembly with Year 3 – 6. There was a dragon theme for the day,…
This was my first visit to Brookfield Park and it was a morning to remember. I had a fantastic time! The visit kicked off with an author assembly in the hall. It was a joy to share my writing adventure with Year 2 – 6. They discovered the process involved in writing and editing the…
It’s always one of the highlights of the year when I visit my local libraries to share some stories. Six library visits took place across two weeks in August. These gigs are always important because I usually take some time off from performing in the summer, so they are great to get back into…
Two high school visits featured before the academic year drew to a close. First up was St George’s. I was invited to be part of the English transition day, which saw Year 6 pupils spending time in school before they go into Year 7 in September. I spent the morning in the fantastic surroundings of…
The final primary visit of the academic year took place at Kincraig Primary. The author assembly started with an explanation of the writing process. I think all of the drafts and the hours of editing blew the children’s minds! The children got to see Martin’s illustrations at the various stages of development. It never fails…
This was my fifth Wordpool event and possibly the hottest! The event takes place at Stanley Park, Blackpool, with hundreds of families attending. The park is filled with lots of things to do and see and it’s completely free! This year saw performing trees, a circus tent, an elephant accompanied by a storyteller and some…
It had been a couple of years since my last visit to Chaucer Primary, Fleetwood, so I was excited about returning. The morning kicked off with an author assembly for KS2. I explained the writing process and showed the children how the illustrations are created by Martin. The session finished with a performance of one…
It had been over two years since my last visit to Stanah, so it was great to return for a trio of visits. The first visit kicked off the week. I shared my writing adventure with Years 3 – 6 in morning assembly. The children discovered how a book is made from initial daydreaming to…
I visited Hawes Side and Lytham Hall Park to share Danger Zone with a combined audience of around 500 fantastic children. The children heard about the process of writing the books. They even got to see how Martin creates his mind-blowing illustrations. I couldn’t visit without putting on the storytelling waistcoat to share an Impossible Tale.…
This visit was booked in late 2017 so I’d been looking forward to it for a good while. The morning kicked off with a fast-paced author assembly in which I shared the last five years in half an hour! The children heard about the Tales and Eric’s adventures and got to see Martin’s marvellous illustrations…
This was my final trip of the academic year to the east Lancashire area. I hadn’t visited Rosewood before, which made it that extra bit exciting. The school is two-form entry so the hall was really full when the pupils had taken their places. The subsequent assembly allowed me to promote reading for pleasure and explain…
St Francis’ Primary is a small, rural school in Goosnargh, near Preston. This was my first visit to the school so I kicked off proceedings with an author assembly. All of the children attended, from Foundation Stage to Year 6. It was an absolute joy to share my writing adventure as the children listened intently.…
It was great to spend three mornings at Carleton Green Primary, a school literally round the corner from my house! The Year 5/6 pupils were studying the Amazon rainforest so I used a jungle-themed adventure opener as a writing stimulus. The text included lots of setting description along with plenty of mystery and tension. I…
It was an early start when I travelled to Cherry Fold Primary, Burnley. The morning kicked off with an author assembly. The pupils listened intently as the events of the last five years were squeezed into forty minutes. I introduced Eric to the children and shared an Impossible Tale. It was a pleasure to promote…
The final visit of the half term took place at Lea Endowed CE Primary, Preston. It was my first visit to the school so the morning kicked off with an author assembly to get the pupils up to speed with the events of the last five years. I explained the writing process behind the Tales…
It had been over two years since my last visit to Staining CE so it was lovely to return. The morning started with a whole-school author assembly. The children discovered how the books are written and I received lots of shocked responses when I showed the pupils all six draft manuscripts. Martin provided a ‘virtual’…
I had a great time when I visited St Leonard’s earlier in the year so I was particularly looking forward to returning. The morning was spent with the Year 6 pupils. We explored nasty characters from books the children had read then moved on to look at two of my favourite baddies: Mrs Trunchbull and…
It was lovely to receive an invitation to return to Fleetwood HS to share the latest update on my writing adventure. As the Y7 students entered the hall, it was great to see lots of familiar faces from past primary visits. It was a joy to share Danger Zone with the students. They saw the…
It was lovely to spend three mornings at Briercliffe Primary, Burnley, during late April. Visit one kicked off with a KS2 author assembly where I explained the writing and illustrating process. The children listened so well as the multiple drafts of Danger Zone were displayed and I revealed how Martin draws Eric. The session finished…
Two school visits were squeezed in to one day. First stop was Moor Park Primary, Blackpool. It had been a year since my last visit so I had lots to tell the children. They discovered how Danger Zone was written and the illustrations were created. I even put on the storytelling waistcoat to perform one…
I love sharing my stories in libraries. When Blackpool Libraries asked me to be part of the Boundary Library reopening event I jumped at the chance. When they asked me to be the ‘special guest’ and deliver a speech and cut the ribbon, I was gobsmacked! @The Grange is a fab project based in one…
After spending a year as the ‘Patron of Reading’ at Boundary it was lovely to return to work with Year 3. The children were studying a range of characters from different stories during their literacy sessions. We started the workshop by discussing nasty characters including Voldermort and Miss Trunchbull. The children were then introduced to…
I had a fantastic time at Padiham Green. The morning kicked off with a KS2 author assembly. As it was my first visit, I just about managed to share the events of the last five years with the pupils. They heard about Eric’s adventures and even saw a performance of one of the Tales. It…
A busy term ended with two author assemblies. It was a joy to share Danger Zone with the pupils at both schools. They got to see the manuscripts from the different stages of the writing process and Martin’s beautiful illustrations. It would have been rude not to take along the storytelling waistcoat to perform one…
It was 2016 when I last visited Medlar with Wesham Primary so I was very excited to return. The morning kicked off with an author assembly. I shared my writing adventure with the Y2 – Y6 pupils and they were an absolute joy. They listened intently as I explained how Eric’s latest story was created…
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at St John’s and as it was a first-time visit it proved to be extra special. The morning started with a writing workshop in Year 4. The pupils kicked off the session by discussing nasty characters in books they had read. They explained why the characters were nasty and how…
I spent two fantastic afternoons at Spring Hill. During the first visit, I worked with both classes of Year 5 pupils. We discussed lots of nasty characters the children had encountered in books before pulling apart a piece of my writing which featured a particularly nasty kid called Bazza. The children discussed lots of alternative…
It had been just under a year since my last visit to Unity so it was lovely to return. After squeezing nearly 400 pupils into the hall, I shared the latest instalment in my writing adventure. The children found out what Eric had been doing in his latest book and even got to see some…
After a two-hour battle through blizzard conditions, I finally made it to Coppull Parish Primary for my first ever visit to the school. We hastliy rearranged the timings for the morning and kicked things off with an assembly. I shared my writing adventure from Impossible Tales to Eric 2 and even managed to squeeze in…
I love visiting schools and it’s always an extra bit special to visit a school for the first time. The morning at Westgate kicked off with a KS2 author assembly. In forty minutes, the children discovered what I’d been doing for the last four years! I explained about the Tales and Eric and even pulled…
Tuesday saw a visit to Singleton Primary to share Danger Zone with the KS2 pupils. It was an action-packed hour filled with secret sessions about the book, sneaky peeks at the illustrations during development and the storytelling waistcoat even made an appearance! A top visit. Thanks Mrs Millward for organising the session and the book…
It’s always extra special to visit a school for the first time, so I couldn’t wait to visit St Leonard’s. The morning kicked off with a whole school assembly. I explained to the children how I wrote my first book aged ten right through to the publication of the latest Eric Appleby adventure. I even…
I was excited to receive an invitation from Marsden Primary in Nelson to design then deliver a series of writing sessions with some of the Year 4 and 5 pupils. The six sessions covered lots of different aspects of story writing including characterisation, setting, creating action sequences and tension and forming endings. Over the six…
It had been a while since my last library session so it was great to visit Moor Park Library to share some stories. The fact the event coincided with Valentine’s Day just proved my love of libraries! I put on the storytelling waistcoat to share a couple of the Tales with a bumper crowd. The…
I visited Barnoldswick in 2016 and had a marvellous time, so it was great to be invited back. After driving through some really snowy conditions, I kicked off the morning with an author assembly. The children discovered how the books were created. I talked through the writing/editing process and even showed the children the illustrations…
I spent the last academic year as Patron of Reading at Boundary Primary. It was lovely to return to work with Year 5. I’d been asked to work with the children on creating a ‘legend-style’ story to fit in with their literacy topic. After much thought, I decided to use one of the Impossible Tales…
It had been two years since my last visit to PPA, so it was great to return. The morning kicked off with an author assembly. I got the children up to speed with the books that have launched since my last visit. They discovered how much editing it takes to create a story and saw…
It was great to return to Christ Church for my fourth visit. It’s a really lovely place and always a joy to return, especially to mark the start of the 2018 school events. The morning started with an author assembly. It had been sixteen months since my last visit so I had plenty to tell…
When the opportunity arose to visit Nelson and Colne College, I jumped at the chance. Before the visit I spent time designing a presentation entitled ‘Engaging young readers and writers’, which was to be delivered to childcare level 2/3 students at the college. The session started with an explanation of my journey – from teacher…
After many previous visits, I was thrilled to return to Carleton Green Primary during November and early December to work with a group of writers. Week one saw the children introduced to a piece of unpublished text. We looked at it from the point of view of a writer to understand what I wanted the…
Two more author assemblies brought down the curtain on a busy November. First up was a visit to Thames Primary Academy, Blackpool. It had been a few months since I’d visited with More Impossible Tales, so it was lovely to return with the new book. The pupils were ace and you could have heard a…
It was an early start to get to Moorside Academy in Skelmersdale. The morning started with an assembly in the hall. Year 2 through to Year 6 joined the session and in a fast-paced forty minutes I managed to explain how the books are made. I even made time to put on the storytelling waistcoat…
Two author assemblies were squeezed into another busy week. First up was a visit to St John’s CE Primary, Blackpool. It had been a year since I’d visited with More Impossible Tales, so it was lovely to return with the new book. The pupils listened really well as I explained how Eric’s new story came…
I visited Clifton Primary in October to share Danger Zone with the pupils – we had a great time. It was lovely to be invited back to write with the Year 6 pupils. We started the session off by discussing nasty characters from books the pupils had read. Lots of great examples featured and it…
In 2016 I visited Park High School, Colne and had a fantastic afternoon with a group of Year 9 pupils. It was lovely to return to work with students from Year 7 and 8. The morning started with a session involving a group of Year 7 students. The pupils had been looking at story openings…
It had been three years since my last visit to St Chad’s CE Primary so it was lovely to return. The first day kicked off with an author assembly. I shared the books and explained how they are created from scratch. The children formed a top audience and it was a pleasure to share my…
Carleton Green Primary is a stone’s throw from my house and it’s a place I’ve visited a few times over the last few years. The school was actually the fourth school I visited right back at the start of my writing adventure! It’s been lovely to have them on board each step of my journey.…
I spent fifteen years at Layton working as a teacher, so it’s always extra special when I return to share my books with the pupils. Over three-hundred KS2 children listened attentively for nearly fifty minutes as I explained the writing and illustrative process that went into making Danger Zone. They saw all six drafts of…
The half term ended with two more Danger Zone assemblies. First up was a trip to Clifton Primary in St Annes. It was my fourth visit to the school and it’s always a lovely place where I’m made to feel very welcome. The children listened beautifully as I talked them through the various drafts of…
A busy week saw three school visits squeezed into a few days. The first stop was Our Lady of the Assumption Primary. I have visited the school many times stretching back to the start of my writing adventure. During the author assembly, the Y2 – Y6 pupils discovered how Danger Zone was created, from the…
Two author assemblies were booked in for early October: one in Accrington and the other in Fleetwood. The first stop was Spring Hill Primary in Accrington. It was nearly a year since my last visit and it was lovely to return. The Y2 – Y6 pupils discovered how Danger Zone was created, from the initial…
The trip to Sacred Heart Primary in Preston was a landmark visit. It was the 150th school I had visited since my writing adventure began in 2013. The morning started with a KS2 assembly. In thirty-five minutes I managed to explain what has happened in the last four years – phew! The children found out…
It’s always extra special to make a visit to a school for the first time. Despite having to get up really early, I was really excited to get to Moorside Primary Academy in Skelmersdale. The morning kicked off with a whole school storytelling assembly. I put on the waistcoat to share ‘Pat On The Head’,…
My first away trip of the new academic year was to East Lancashire for two Danger Zone assemblies in Burnley at St John Southworth and St James’ Lanehead. First stop was St John Sothworth. It had been a couple of years since my last visit so I had plenty to tell the children. The pupils…
The new school year got off to a flying start with Danger Zone assemblies in two Blackpool schools: Devonshire Academy and Roseacre Academy. The children got to see all of the manuscripts from the first draft through to the final version. Never again will they complain when they have to edit their own work! Martin…
Blackpool libraries have supported me from the off and I appreciate everything they have done. I was thrilled to bits when they offered to host a ‘launch tour’ for the new Eric Appleby book over the summer holidays. I visited four libraries over two weeks: Boundary Library, Moor Park Library, Palatine Library and Layton Library.…
It’s always lovely to put some library events in the diary. The first couple of visits during the summer holidays included sessions at two Lancashire libraries: Poulton and Fleetwood. Poulton Library was first up and a sizeable audience turned up to hear some stories. I shared three stories, two Impossible Tales and a traditional tale…
I visited Marton Primary twice during the final half term of the year. My first visit was part of a forest-themed event involving children from local nurseries. I shared a story about a little spider who uses his brain to overcome some of the most fearsome creatures in the forest. It’s a good story and…
It was great to receive an invitation to visit Lea Primary to talk about writing my books as part of ‘Aspirations Week’. As it was my first visit to the school, I started right at the beginning. I explained to the Key Stage 2 pupils how my writing adventure started with a load of first…
Wordpool Family Day is always one of the highlights on my calendar and the 2017 extravaganza lived up to expectation. It’s a huge outdoor event organised by staff at Blackpool libraries and the theme for 2017 was ‘Animal Antics’. Lots of different performers attended and there was lots to see and do, plus it was…
It’s always extra special to visit a school for the first time, so to make two first-time visits in a week was mega! It was lovely to visit St Paul’s at Warton to share my writing adventure with Y2 – Y6. The pupils listened really well as I talked them through the three books and…
It had been a while since my last trip to east Lancashire, so it was great to return to two schools where I had previously enjoyed successful visits. First up was a trip to Biercliffe Primary where I shared More Impossible Tales. The first session was with Year5/6 and was followed by Year3/4. The pupils…
Three school visits all in my hometown of Blackpool happened within a week of each other. First up was my third visit to Thames Primary Academy. It’s always fab to visit Thames to share a new book and this visit was no different. The pupils listened intently as I shared More Impossible Tales and groaned…
A busy afternoon started at Stanley Primary. I had been invited to visit by Miss Wheatley to talk to Year 3 about Eric Appleby as they were studying the book in class. The children asked lots of ace questions and I even gave them a sneak peek of Danger Zone. Can’t wait to see the…
The final half term of the year got off to a flying start with two author assemblies. First up was St Teresa’s, a place I have visited a few times over the years. It was a joy to share the stories and introduce the children to the new Tales. The pupils wer great and it…
After visiting Lowton St Mary’s in April, it was lovely to return to share more stories and write with Year 3 and 4. The morning started with a KS2 assembly. I put on the storytelling waistcoat and shared ‘Junk from the Trunk’, one of the Tales from the first book. We started off in a…
Some of my visits take me all over the North West, but Carleton Green is very close to home – literally round the corner from my house! It brings a whole new meaning to ‘local author’. It had been over a year since I had last visited with Eric Appleby so it was fab to…
It’s fabulous to revisit schools that I have been to before on my writing adventure, but there is always something extra special about visiting a school for the first time. Admittedly, I get a bit nervous, but I’m also very excited too. Park Community Academy contacted me about taking part in their ‘Book Day’ and…
After visiting to deliver the session in 2016, it was lovely to return to Waterloo Primary to share some spooky stories and talk to the current Year 4 pupils about writing scary stories. I put the storytelling waistcoat on and started the session with a story that features a Halloween dare and an abandoned old…
I had a fantastic time at Lowton St Mary’s and was fortunate enough to meet many of the pupils during my first morning in school. The visit began with an author assembly. Year 2 to 6 listened really well as I squeezed the last three years into forty minutes, starting with the first hand-written drafts…
I’m always a little nervous when I visit a school for the first time, so after seeing off a few butterflies I made the short journey to Charles Saer Community Primary in Fleetwood. After fitting all of the pupils, from Year 1 to Year 6, into the hall, I started right at the beginning with Impossible Tales…
In 1994 I sat my A-levels at Blackpool Sixth Form College before leaving to go on to uni to train as a teacher. At that time, I didn’t think I would ever return as an author, but twenty-three years later that’s exactly what happened during the final event of the half term. When Helen Crowther…
The half term ended with a flurry of author assemblies close to home across the Fylde Coast. First up was a visit to Singleton Primary. It was lovely to return to share ‘More Impossible Tales’ with the Year 3 – 6 pupils. The children listened beautifully as I explained the process involved in creating the…
After taking an enforced break from my school events due to a health issue, it was marvellous to gradually restart things with a couple of author assemblies in local schools. It had been over two years since my last visit to St Nicholas Primary. The last time I visited, I had only written the first…
My last visit to Manor Beach was in December 2016. I had a great time sharing ‘More Impossible Tales’, so it was lovely to be invited back to lead a storytelling assembly and two writing workshops. The morning started with a storytelling session in the hall with all of the Key Stage 2 pupils. The…
I spent two mornings at Baines High School writing with some of the Year 7 students. I enjoyed every minute! The pupils had been working on a topic called ‘Heroes & Villains’ during the half term. Before the visit, I prepared a piece of writing about a nasty kid, who I felt could take on…
My first visit to Strike Lane was during early 2016 and I had a great time sharing the original Tales and Eric with the pupils. When I was invited to return to share ‘More Impossible Tales’, I didn’t have to think twice. Key Stage 2 listened really well as I explained how the Tales started…
I headed across to East Lancashire for a morning of writing and storytelling at St Joseph’s Primary, Barnoldswick. It was my first visit to the school and the morning started with an assembly. Year 1 to 6 heard about the writing process involved in producing the books as well as seeing Martin’s illustrations at the…
It was an early start to get to Marsden Primary in Nelson. I hadn’t visited before, so I was especially excited. The morning started with an author assembly. Marsden is quite a large school, but we fitted the 240 Key Stage 2 pupils into the hall. The children discovered how the stories are created and…
I had visited Ellel St John’s Primary a couple of times during the last two years to share the books. I was always made to feel welcome and my time valued. When Mrs Fitzgerald, the deputy headteacher, invited me back to write with some of the pupils, I jumped at the chance. The sessions were…
I headed north to Lancaster and beyond to visit two schools in a day. First stop was St Luke’s Primary. It was my third visit to the school and it seemed an age since I first shared Impossible Tales there. The children were excited when they entered the hall, which is always a good start!…
This was my second visit to Fleetwood High School. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing my writing adventure with Year 7 in 2016, so I was excited about returning. It was so lovely to hear the students saying ‘hello’ as they entered the hall. Many of them remembered me from primary visits as I have been to…
All I seem to hear at the minute is news about libraries closing. When I heard that a new library was opening at Lytham Hall Park Primary, I jumped at the chance to join the celebrations. My afternoon was spent writing with Year 6. The pupils had read one of the new Tales, ‘Snapshock’, before…
The pupils and staff at St Kentigern’s have been with me from the start of my writing adventure. One of my first author events was at the school, so it was especially exciting to return to share ‘More Impossible Tales’. Every class managed to squeeze into the hall and it was a joy to share…
I visited St Thomas’ C of E Primary, St Annes, in November 2016 and had a fantastic time sharing my books. For that reason, I was really excited about returning to write with some of the pupils. The morning started in Year 6. The children had read ‘Blown Away’ from the first collection of Impossible…
The 2017 school events kicked off with a visit to Holy Spirit Catholic Primary, St Helens. I met Mrs Ravey, the headteacher, at Reading Rocks 16 last year, so it was lovely to be invited to visit her school. The morning started with a Key Stage 2 author assembly where I shared my writing adventure…
I was thrilled to bits when I was asked to join the Save Our Stories rescue crew for some festive storytelling at Palatine Library. I had created a festive tale to share with children from three local primaries that had accepted an invitation to visit. The first school to arrive was Marton Primary Academy who…
Four more author assemblies brought a close to a really busy half term. I’d visited Hawes Side Academy, Blackpool, many times and it’s always a joy. The pupils and staff are fantastic and make me feel so welcome. Combine that with the fact they had just moved into a new school with a brand new…
In January 2016 I visited Delph Side Community Primary for the first time. I had a cracking time and the children and staff made me feel really welcome and my time in the school was valued. When the school contacted me again about a visit to celebrate the opening of the new library, I jumped…
A busy week started with a trip to east Lancashire. The first stop of the day was at Spring Hill Primary in Accrington. It was my first visit to Spring Hill, so I was especially excited about sharing my writing adventure. During a fast-paced half hour presentation, I talked through the writing process and showed the…
The new half term started with a trip to Lancaster. After visiting a year ago with Impossible Tales, I was invited back to Ellel St John’s CE Primary to share Eric and More Impossible Tales. It was a delight to talk about the writing and illustrating process with the pupils. To finish the assembly, I…
During the last few years, I’ve done countless events in libraries across Lancashire. The Halloween events are always fantastic, mainly due to the brilliant costumes the children wear! It’s great to share stories with lots of witches, skeletons and vampires, to name but a few. On the Saturday before Halloween, Blackpool Library Service asked me…
I’d visited St Mary’s quite a few times and thoroughly enjoyed my time there, so it was great to return. The children listened every so well and laughed and groaned in all of the right places during the story. Thanks go to Mrs Sewell for organising the visit. A year ago, I visited Thames Primary…
Another busy few days saw school visits to three more schools to share the new book and talk about reading, writing and chasing dreams. Our Lady of the Assumption Primary is a lovely place and I have visited many times since I started out on my writing adventure. It was lovely to return to share…
This was my third visit to Medlar-with-Wesham CE Primary. I’d throughly enjoyed myself during the previous visits, so I was excited about returning. The morning started with a whole-school assembly in the church next door to the school. I have shared my stories in lots of different venues, but this was my first storytelling session…
Earlier in the year, I made contact via Twitter with Heather Wright, a teacher at The District CE Primary in Newton-le-Willows. This resulted in an author visit to the school to share Impossible Tales and Eric Appleby with the children. I loved the afternoon I spent there. The place was magical! Reading and literature were…
The busy start to the new academic year continued with three school visits. First up was a trip to Christ Church CE Primary in Leigh. I had visited a couple of times before with the first Tales and then Eric. It was lovely to return to share ‘More Impossible Tales’ with the Key Stage 2…
The new academic year is up and running and the first week of visits featured three author assemblies. The week started at Clifton Primary. This was my third visit and I have enjoyed sharing my books with the pupils each time. It was great to explain the writing and illustrative process involved in creating the…
When I started out on my writing adventure three years ago, I never imagined that one day I’d be sitting in front of TV cameras talking about reading, writing and chasing dreams. That’s exactly what happened at the studios of That’s Lancashire TV after I happily accepted their invitation to go along to do an interview.…
Blackpool Library Service has supported my writing adventure from the beginning. When I was starting out they gave me the chance to try out some of my stories and even asked me to share stories at the amazing Wordpool Family Day. I was thrilled to bits when they offered me the chance to launch my…
Over the last couple of years my writing adventure has taken me to many libraries across Lancashire. It was lovely to be invited along to share some stories as part of the Lancashire Reading Journey events. The children are challenged to complete lots of different activities over the summer, ranging from designing a book cover…
July was a hectic month! It started with an afternoon of storytelling at the Wordpool Family Day. I put on the storytelling waistcoat and shared stories with lots of fantastic children. It was lovely to return to Medlar-with-Wesham C of E Primary, Kirkham to write with Year 5 and Year 6. The children created some…
June was an extremely busy month and featured some memorable visits. The month kicked off with a morning of writing at Archbishop Huttons’ Primary, Warton. I spent time creating character descriptions with each class in Key Stage 2 and the writing the children produced was fantastic. It was my third visit to the school and…
May saw three school visits. The first was to The Grange School in Manchester where I worked with a fantastic group of students aged between 11 and 16. The pupils produced some great writing and it was a pleasure to visit. I made my first visit to Weeton Primary to talk to the whole school…
I’d visited quite a few schools in Fleetwood and it was lovely to make my first visit to Chaucer to share my books with the Key Stage 2 pupils. My author assembly is as much an inspirational pitch as it is about reading and writing so I started off by asking the children about their…
Most of my school visits are to primary schools but I’m starting to get requests from high schools too. Mrs Newby, who works in the library at Our Lady’s, invited me in to work with a group of Year 8 students so I headed off to Lancaster with Eric. The afternoon session began with my…
I’d been invited to All Saints by Mrs Partington, the headteacher, to share some stories and write with some of the pupils. Tuesday morning started with a whole school assembly in which I shared my writing adventure. I read extracts from the Tales and Eric and showed the pupils the edited manuscripts. I don’t think…
Monday kicked off at Unity Academy with an author assembly. Despite visiting last year for a storytelling session, this was my first visit to share my books. I read an extract from Blown Away, which is one of my favourite stories in Impossible Tales. The children laughed at all the right bits which was ace.…
This was my first visit to Westcliff and I thoroughly enjoyed my author session. As I hadn’t visited before, I started off by getting the Key Stage 2 children up to speed with Impossible Tales. I shared an extract from Blown Away and the children laughed at all the right points which was a lovely…
This was my second visit to Singleton after an author assembly earlier in the year. The morning kicked off with a storytelling session with all of the children from Foundation to Year 6. I pulled on the story waistcoat to share Junk From The Trunk from Impossible Tales. Without leaving the safety of the school…
I’d visited St Teresa’s a couple of times to share the books and each time I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. It was lovely to be invited back to write with some of the pupils. The morning kicked off in Year 4 where the focus of the session was character description. We started off by discussing…
I was really excited to get a call from Mrs Harrison at Waterloo Primary Academy to ask if I’d like to go and visit. The Year 4 children were starting a unit on spooky writing so she wanted me to share some spooky stories and talk about writing creepy tales. After pulling on the story…
I’ve visited St Kentigern’s quite a few times before so it was lovely to return for a couple of mornings to share Eric Appleby and write with some of the classes. Tuesday kicked off with a Key Stage 2 assembly where I introduced the children to Eric. I explained how I developed the idea from…
My visit to Burscough Bridge Methodist Primary was a landmark occasion. It was the 100th school I’d visited during the 18 months since Impossible Tales launched in 2014! What a fantastic rollercoaster ride it’s been. The morning started with a whole school assembly where I pulled on the story waistcoat and shared one of the…
This was my first visit to Lord Street Primary in Colne. I’d been invited to go and write with the Year 5 pupils and do some storytelling. The morning kicked off with a whole school storytelling session in the hall. I pulled on the story waistcoat and shared one of the Impossible Tales. Even though…
I had visited Bispham Endowed a couple of times with my books but this was my first writing visit. The task was to create a short write about a nasty character called Bazza Simmons and the Year 6 group I was working with were enthusiastic and clearly loved writing. We started by reading an extract…
I made an early start to head to Barnoldswick CE Primary for my first visit to the school. The morning started in Year 5. The pupils were keen to ask lots of questions before we started writing so I explained about my favourite book, where I get my story ideas from and what inspired me…
This was my second visit to Northfold as I’d been to share Impossible Tales last July. The children were as fantastic as ever and listened beautifully while I explained how Eric’s story came about. I think they were a bit shocked when I showed them all of the edited mauscripts. Hopefully they won’t complain the next…
I’d visited Holy Trinity in January to share the Tales and Eric so I was thrilled to bits to be invited back for some storytelling and writing workshops. The morning kicked off with a whole school assembly where I shared one of the Impossible Tales. I pulled on the story waistcoat to share the story,…
It was an early start to get to Colne for a morning of storytelling and writing. The morning kicked off with a storytelling assembly with all of the children from Y1 – 6. The hall was packed and it was a delight to pull on the story waistcoat and share an Impossible Tale with the…
Fitting two visits in one day is a challenge so squeezing in three seemed impossible. I’m always up for a challenge though. I have a soft spot for Lancaster as I spent four years there training to be a teacher so it’s always great to return. After a mini trip down memory lane, I headed…
This was my first visit to Strike Lane and I was really excited to meet the pupils. As I hadn’t been before I kicked off the assembly by explaining the writing process involved in creating Impossible Tales. I shared an extract from Blown Away. Can there be a better way of starting a Tuesday morning…
It had been a year since my last visit to Holy Family and I couldn’t wait to introduce the children to Eric and write with some of the classes. We kicked off the morning with an author assembly with Year 2 – 6. The children listened so well as I explained about the writing process…
The last time I visited Singleton Primary was somewhere around 1991. I was at high school and I went for a couple of weeks to get work experience. The school has changed lots since then but it is still a lovely place filled with cracking kids and fab staff. As this was my first visit…
Super Tuesday started off at Pegasus in Blackpool where I worked with two groups of pupils on their writing. We used Blown Away from Impossible Tales and focused on the ending of the story. The children had already heard the full story and we read the final few paragraphs to refresh their memories. We then…
I had seen lots of great things on Twitter about The District so when the opportunity to visit came about, I jumped at the chance. Firstly, I met Mrs McFarlane who gave me a guided tour of both libraries and the outdoor reading facilities. I was shown around the ‘story shack’ which is used by…
After visiting a school a couple of weeks ago, I received a very exciting email from Maria Felix Vas, a producer at BBC Radio Lancashire. Maria’s daughter had gone home after my visit and explained what I’d told the children. After lots of email replies and calls, we agreed a date for me to go…
The final event of the half term was at St Teresa’s where I’d been invited to introduce the children to Eric Appleby. I kicked off the session by updating the children about what had happened since I last saw them. My previous visit was just after Impossible Tales was released so I had lots to…
It’d been seven months since my last visit to Manor Beach and it was lovely to return. Last time, I shared the Tales and I was so pleased to hear the children telling me about what they could remember from last time as they were setting up the hall. Even after seven months, they could…
After more than 80 primary visits, this was my first time in a high school so I was a little apprehensive to say the least. My teaching career was spent in a primary school so this was unknown territory! I needn’t have worried as the 180 Year 7 children made me feel so welcome and…
I had a marvellous time sharing the books in two brilliant schools in Burnley. First stop was Briercliffe Primary where I talked about life as a writer and storyteller. After explaining how Impossible Tales was written, I shared an extract from Blown Away which is one of my favourites from the first batch of Tales.…
Blackpool Library Service has backed my writing and storytelling adventure right from the start and it was lovely to celebrate National Libraries Day with them. The day kicked off at Palatine Library where I told a couple of Impossible Tales as well as reading from the book. The first tale was the first story I…
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to libraries. During my youth, I was always in my local library for all manner of reasons including homework research and reading for pleasure. When I was a teacher, I walked my pupils to the local library on numerous occasions. Now I’m writing and storytelling, I visit loads…
This was my fourth visit to Roseacre. I’d previously visited to share Impossible Tales and been there twice for storytelling sessions on behalf of Blackpool Library Service. It’s a lovely place and I always enjoy returning. Roseacre is a large school so I had to share Eric’s story twice, firstly with Year 3 and 4…
The week got off to a flyer with a trip to Skelmersdale to visit Delph Side Community Primary. The session had been organised by Mr Holding who had invited children from local schools to come along to Delph Side to take part in the writing workshop. It was great to hear how enthusiastic the children…
This week I received two lovely book reviews which had been completed by Charlie and Olivia. To say I was blown away would be an understatement. Charlie and Olivia had read the book as part of a school task. To hear they enjoyed the book so much made me feel so proud and excited. It’s…
I’ll never forget the day my first book, ‘Impossible Tales!’ launched in 2014. I can remember where I was, what I was doing and exactly what happened that special day. It was a landmark occasion and one which will be forever stamped in my memory. Well yesterday, I went through the whole experience once again…
I had great fun filming the story of the Blackpool Poolie back in May at Central Library. It was filmed and edited by Wordpool so that the local children in Blackpool schools could watch it and hopefully be inspired to write. A link was sent to lots of Blackpool schools and I hope the children…
Back in May, I filmed a promotional video at Central Library to help promote the Summer Reading Challenge across the libraries in Blackpool. It was quite a nerve-racking experience but I really enjoyed it. I was happy to help out as I’m passionate about getting kids reading and that is one of the main reasons behind…
This afternoon I went to the launch event of the Summer Reading Challenge. Blackpool Library Service had asked me to come along to the event and share a story with a group of 40 children from Thames Primary. The theme of the challenge is ‘Record Breakers’ so I decided to give a new story a…