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…
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 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…
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…
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,…