Storyversity
Stories have the power to captivate minds, inspire change, and leave a lasting impact. At Storyversity, we believe storytelling is in our DNA—and it’s a skill you can learn to master.
Yorkshire Festival Of Story
Yorkshire Festival Of Story The Yorkshire Festival of Story, the biggest hybrid storytelling festival in the world, is an annual celebration of storytelling produced and hosted by Settle Stories. With […]
Stories For Schools
Stories For Schools Stories for Schools is a programme produced and managed by Settle Stories, because we believe education should be an enchanting adventure. Our digital library is a unique […]
Festival Happiness
Bringing the community together We all want to be happier. Right? Why are we no happier now than we were decades ago? The Festival of Happiness asked people to break […]
Community Voices
A back to work program with a difference! Do you think everyone has a fascinating story to share? We do! Community Voices was a 9-week training program to help those […]
My Favourite Doll
Everyone has a favorite doll or teddy right? Our My Favourite Doll project found the people of Settle certainly do! We interviewed people young, old and everywhere in between. As […]
Tom Twisleton
Our local, Craven dialect is dying out It’s natural in a period of Globalisation that local dialect would die out. Right? 2017 marked 100 years since the death of a […]
Tom Faulkner – What we did
In 2018 Settle Stories successfully bid for funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to deliver a Young Roots Project in Settle: Tom Faulkner: A Portrait of Stories. Those of you […]
Matilda’s Bedtime Stories
Snuggle up with bedtime stories with Matilda Snuggle up, grab your favourite teddy and enjoy Bedtime Tales with Matilda. You can tune in from the comfort of your own bedroom […]
Down The Rabbit Hole
Inspired by Alice in Wonderland You are Lorina, Alice’s older sister. We’ve created an interactive adventure where you decide who you meet and where you go. The question is, can […]
A Meditation Practice by Ben Watts
One of our recent interns, Ben Watts, was inspired by our love and promotion of all things meditation and he decided to try out a regular practice for himself. Ben […]
Young Writer’s Review of Miss Nobodies
Our young reporter, Anisa (17), joined us at year’s Yorkshire Festival of Story to review some acts. Here are Anisa’s thoughts on the comedy duo Black Liver’s Miss Nobodies. On […]
Young Writer’s Review of The Cowfoot Prince and The Warlock Effect
Our young reporter, Anisa (17), attended a few of this year’s Yorkshire Festival of Story events to review the acts and send us her thoughts on how the festival went. […]
An Interview with Sudhar Buchar
On 15th November, Sudhar Buchar is gracing the Yorkshire Festival of Story stage with her one-woman show, ‘Evening Conversations.’ Gurpreet Atwal spoke to Sudhar to pick her brains and find […]
Nestor ‘the boss’ Gomez talks racism, storytelling and giving your voice a platform
Interview by Gupreet Atwal. This year, on the 5th of November, join us for a virtual presentation with award-winning storyteller Nestor ‘the Boss’ Gomez, taking place as part of the […]
Reg Meuross talks music, power and song-writing
On Friday 3rd November, Reg Meuross will open this year’s Yorkshire Festival of Story with songs from his album, Stolen From God. Our very own Mollie Parker, spoke with Reg […]
Inviting Mind and Heart to Come Together
We’re delighted that Tempest has taken the time to write a beautiful review of last night’s (20th September) creative writing and mindfulness class. If you’d like to join the class, […]
Inviting Creativity with Mindfulness by Tempest Phoenix Smith
We’re delighted to have writers group member, Tempest Phoenix Smith, write her recent experience on the Creative Writing and Mindfulness Retreat, hosted earlier this year by our very own Sita […]
Submissions are open for Yorkshire Festival of Story 2023
Submissions are now open for storytellers, authors and performers to apply to take part in our Yorkshire Festival of Story 2023 programme. The two-week festival will take place online and […]
Winners of the Children’s Story Competition 2022
This year we announced the winners of our Children’s Story Competition 2022 at Yorkshire Festival of Story with our fantastic judge Joanne Harris and in partnership with North Yorkshire County […]
Young Reporter Review: Lost & Found at the Falcon Manor
Lost & Found with Elizabeth Garner and Patterson Dipper Yorkshire Festival of Story Sunday 27 November Written by Imogen Royston, aged 13 This Sunday evening, I went down to the […]
Young Reporter Review: Joanne Harris at Settle Community Library
Yorkshire Festival of Story Saturday 26 November Written by Imogen Royston, aged 13 Joanne Harris is a writer who lives in Yorkshire. Today I went down to Settle Community Library […]
Yorkshire Festival of Story is back!
#YFOS22 4th — 27th November 2022 Free. Online. Everywhere. Book your tickets here “How can we use storytelling to respond to our most urgent threat – the climate emergency?” This […]
4 storytime activities for the summer holidays
Stuck for ideas on how to keep your kids happy during the summer holidays? We’ve rounded up some of our favourite storytime activities for you to try out. Let us […]
Time to say goodbye
After 9 wonderful years I’m writing to let you know that i’m leaving Settle Stories to take on a new role as CEO of the Gregson Arts & Community Centre […]
Ideas for families/ schools to celebrate World Environment Day
World Environment Day (WED) is held on the 5th of June each year. It originally started in 1974 by the United Nations and is hosted by a different country each […]
A trapeze accident – how science storyteller Cassandra Wye started her career
The Moon is probably one of the only places – fantastic storyteller Cassandra Wye hasn’t visited yet. We caught up with Cassandra in the run up to her ‘Fly me […]
10 creative storytelling activities for families in lockdown
In need of some inspiring educational activities to do with kids at home? We’ve been scouring the web and put together 10 creative storytelling activities for you. 1) Spot on […]
From Winnie the Pooh to cultural leadership – introducing Tony Durcan
Following the retirement of our Chair Douglas Adamson in 2020 we are thrilled to announce that Tony Durcan has now been appointed. Tony has always been passionate about stories and […]
Experience the magic of the Ribblehead Viaduct online
Fancy a trip to the Yorkshire Dales? Visit one of the area’s most iconic landmarks, the Ribblehead Viaduct without even stepping out of your door.. The Ribblehead Viaduct is a […]
Bringing digital skills to the board – introducing Paulina Stachnik
Here at Settle Stories, we couldn’t do what we do without such a string team of volunteers. One very important role is that of Trustee, to govern the Charity. We […]
Opportunity for artists/creative start up: space to let
Space to let Office/artists studio Recently redecorated Light, airy, dual aspect room Private kitchenette Access to free meeting room Good value, simple terms Inc all bills and wifi We’re thrilled […]
Adios, and Not Goodbye
Just over 18 months ago, the outgoing, confident and energetic Jessica Harris was appointed as our Sales and Communications Officer. From Leeds, to Settle – we were always slightly worried […]
Fits of Laughter: Review of The Forgotten Tales
Review of Yorkshire Festival of Story event The Forgotten Tales by Jon Buckeridge on 15th August 2020. Reviewed by Gill O’Donnell for The Craven Herald and Pioneer. If you want […]
People & Places: Review of The Geography of Me
Review of Yorkshire Festival of Story event The Geography of Me by Rose Condo on 14th August 2020. Reviewed by Gill O’Donnell for The Craven Herald and Pioneer. In a […]
Inhabiting Stories: Blood & Gold Review
Review of Yorkshire Festival of Story event Blood & Gold by Mara Menzies on 11th August 2020. Reviewed by Gill O’Donnell for The Craven Herald and Pioneer. Without doubt this […]
A Yorkshire Life: Review of The Yorkshire Shepherdess
Review of Yorkshire Festival of Story event, Adventures of a Yorkshire Shepherdess, on the 31st of August 2020. Reviewed by Gill O’Donnell for The Craven Herald and Pioneer. Amanda Owen […]
What Do You See? Review of Visual Storytelling
Review of Yorkshire Festival of Story event, Visual Storytelling with Woodrow Phoenix, on 16th of August 2020. Reviewed by Gill O’Donnell for The Craven Herald and Pioneer. Look at a […]
Curiously Uplifting: Political Party Review
Review of Yorkshire Festival of Story event, The Political Party by Luca Rutherford on 28th August 2020. Reviewed by Gill O’Donnell for The Craven Herald and Pioneer/ In these strange […]
Stepping Back in Time: Ey Up Elsie Review
Review of the Ey Up Elsie Series from Yorkshire Festival of Story 2020. Reviewed by Gill O’Donnell for The Craven Herald and Pioneer. Watching this I felt as if I […]
Delving into Storytelling
Refreshing, unexpected and surprising. This is how it felt to be working with Young Reporters this year to produce Settle Stories blog. 7 Young Reporters between the ages of 12-19 […]
Funding for cross art form collaboration
During these strange and isolating times we need inspiration and ideas now more than ever. Interested in a grant to support a new collaboration? Arts charity Settle Stories has taken […]
Enter the world of Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl and the Imagination Seekers promises to be a go-to event for readers young and old, familiar with this writer or not, as it echoes the forgotten words of […]
Finding your Voice
Barbara Houseman strives to enable and empower people to find their voice. Whether this is developing vocal ability or gaining confidence. She is passionate about helping people to gain their […]
Story is the heart of any game
On the 30th August, video game writer and newly emerging author Greg Buchanan will be hosting an engaging event detailing the journey to creating compelling and relevant interactive fiction ‘American […]
Creative family lockdown experiences
Words of a Fiddler’s Daughter – final Folk Thursday event at Yorkshire Festival of Story Lockdown has forced many of us to spend more time with the people we live […]
Jan Blake – what story will she tell – you decide!
We’re thrilled to be welcoming storyteller Jan Blake to Yorkshire Festival of Story. Jan Blake will transport you to a place where nature and deep magic collide. Stories about human […]
Breaking down barriers and blurring boundaries with Ben Okri
Blog written by Sarah Bennett We are both very excited and incredibly lucky to have Booker Prize-winning author Ben Okri OBE with us, speaking live about his popular collection of […]
Yorkshire’s Legendary Writer
An Interview with Joanne Harris MBE One of the delights of this year’s Yorkshire Festival of Story is world renowned, Yorkshire author Joanne Harris (best known for the award-winning novel […]
A summer holiday at home
Lockdown has prevented many of us from going on holiday this summer, but it hasn’t stopped artist Rose Condo from travelling in her imagination. She has used her love of […]
Puppetry, Fine Art and Film-making. Q&A with Lois Conlan
Yorkshire Festival of Story includes many new brilliant commissions to celebrate the 150th anniversary of The Ribblehead Viaduct. Lois Conlan created a shadow play film which you can view here. […]
Homegrown storyteller – Poppy Avison Fell
Eye Up Elsie is a piece born and bred in Settle. A new Yorkshire Festival of Story commission created and performed by Poppy Avison Fell. There’s something very magical about […]
YFOS EVENT REVIEW: 12 Silk Handkerchiefs
Yorkshire Festival of Story hosts a weekly Folk Thursday. This series begun with our Headliner, 12 Silk Handkerchiefs, and was brilliantly received by attendees. Read on to see what Gill […]
Interview with Kevin Crossley-Holland
Blog written by Emma Willingham This month, Yorkshire Festival of Story is streaming award-winning author, poet, and translator, Kevin Crossley-Holland into our homes to talk about his world of traditional […]
The unfinished painting: an immersive art experience for kids
Calling all parents with kids who love stories and art! Blog written by Sarah Bennett The madly mischievous Lord of Misrule, the rightfully regal Coronation Queen and a magical, unfinished […]
1960’s in a Yorkshire Dales classroom
Sue Dyde invites audiences around the world to travel back in time and join her in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1960’s. As Mrs Thewlitt, Sue invites children to join […]
Unearthing truths, debunking myths and looking at things differently through music
Every Thursday throughout August grab a drink, pull up a pew and sign in (for free) for Folk Thursdays running as part of Yorkshire Festival of Story. We’re thrilled to […]
Q&A with International storyteller Clare Murphy
Bringing stories to life is what International storyteller Clare Murphy does best. Settle Stories caught up with Clare to see what inspires her, what you can expect from her upcoming […]
Anne Bronte – the forgotten sister
Blog written by Sarah Bennett Consigned to the shadows by the overbearing legends of her more famous, more talented, more deserving sisters: the lesser-known Brontë sister- Anne, the sister we […]
Q & A: Getting cosy with Yorkshire Bedtime Tales
It’s not long until the little ones can cuddle up and get cosy every Friday for Bedtime Tales with Danyah Miller. Danyah is a solo performer, storyteller trainer and writer. […]
A life dedicated to chocolate
Hmmm chocolate. There’s something about it right? What with our Festival Guest Director at Yorkshire Festival of Story this year being the legendary Yorkshire writer Joanne Harris (MBE), who wrote […]
NO ONE PUTS MERLIN IN THE CORNER
Blog written by Sarah Bennett Once and Future King tells the Arthurian legends like you’ve never known before, from the real force behind King Arthur: our very own immortal, […]
Our Oldest Allies – Stories of Trees. In conversation with Jonathan Drori
Since lockdown began most of us have had the time to stop and appreciate the power of nature. I don’t know if it’s just me but nature seems to be […]
Q&A: Magic and Mortals with Grimm & Co
Like us, Grimm & Co love story. They are a Rotherham based charity whose core purpose is to change lives one story at a time. They support children and young […]
Celebrating the spirit of Settle. . . online!
What with lockdown, everything pre the past 3 months seems a million years ago doesn’t it? But it was only back in 2019 when Settle Stories got funding from the […]
Examine Your Lifeline
Examine your Lifeline As you get older, it’s natural to look back on your life and reflect upon it. Sometimes this may just be a jumble of related and unrelated […]
Do Things Badly
Fear of getting it ‘wrong’ is one of the biggest barriers to trying something new. Perhaps you would like to do something creative you have never done before, or not […]
Save Your Own Story
‘So, what was your grandfather like?’ This was the question my son asked me the other day. It’s a good question. The trouble is, I’m struggling to answer it. Why? […]
Sing! Sing! Sing!
Like to sing but don’t feel confident? Like to sing but can’t remember the words? Like to sing but can’t remember the tune? Can remember the name of a song […]
Journaling: the 4 Do’s and the 4 Don’ts
Journaling is just keeping a very informal diary. It’s a notebook in which you write or note down things you see or think about. It’s meant to be private – […]
10 Ways You Are Already Creative
“I’m sorry I’m just not creative.” As the saying has it, if I had sixpence for every time I’ve heard that, I’d be a rich man! And those people have […]
Hip Hop sparked my love for language
You’re invited to be part of The Yorkshire Poem. We’ve commissioned rap-poet Otis Mensah who has a contemporary take on alternative hip-hop music and spoken word poetry, to create this […]
A Whirlwind Week
Something brilliant has happened at Settle Stories. We have been able to offer a paid Event Management Internship over the last 8 months. Why is this so important? The internship […]
Calling all 7-11 year olds
Calling all budding story tellers! This is a big shout out for anyone aged between 7 -11 years old who are living in the UK and have a passion […]
Calling all Teachers
Inspire a new generation of budding writers and unleash your pupil’s creativity and imagination with this inspiring, free teaching resource pack, created by Artistic Director of Settle Stories, Sita Brand. […]
Seed Funding at FEAST
Craven District Council in partnership with Settle Stories via the FEAST project will be providing seed funding for artists in 2020. There’s a total annual budget of £1,000. Grants will […]
‘Tis the Season of Colourful Spreadsheets
We’re delighted to have Louise Cross in our team at Settle Stories. Louise was the successful applicant for our Event Manager Internship funded by Great Place Lakes and Dales. She […]
Young artists inspired by nature
We’re delighted to have Louise Cross in our team at Settle Stories. Louise was the successful applicant for our Event Manager Internship. She promised to write regularly for our blog. […]
Q&A: Tremendous Tales with Ursula Holden Gill
In November 2019 we’ve got the savvy sassy storyteller and ex-Emmerdale star Ursula Holden Gill visiting us at The Joinery. Urusla will be making us laugh and cry with her […]
A Menu With a Difference
Like it suggests, Settle Stories Create Cafe has a menu which can have different ‘specials’ each week and a staple diet. No, this is not a menu to eat and […]
A Month in the life of …
We’re delighted to have Louise Cross to our team at Settle Stories. Louise was the successful applicant for our Event Manager Internship. She promised to write regularly for our blog. […]
An Office Job
We’re delighted to welcome Louise Cross to our team at Settle Stories. Louise was the sucessfull applicant for our Event Manager Internship. We wanted to develop this opportunity for a […]
Returning Home – review
Reviewed by Gill O’Donnell Following an extraordinary voyage over sea to Iceland, via Orkney, Shetland and the Faroes, undertaken in collaboration with Sophie Ramsay, cellist and singer Sarah Smout has […]
Rapunzel – Become a Hairdresser for Nature!
Family fun activity for the Summer Hols! Derived from the German fairy tale by Fredrich Schulz, it was The infamous Grimm Brothers adaption that put Rapunzel firmly on the map […]
The Gingerbread Man
Family fun activity for the Summer Hols! I remember the shock I felt as a child when I learnt the outcome of the story “The Gingerbread Man.” As an adult […]
Settle Writers Group – Q & A on Creativity
Jane Emmison, one of our trusty volunteers, came to get creative at our Create Cafe and Settle Writers Group this Summer. After producing some great work and loving the involvement […]
Environmental connections – Q & A with Sarah Smout
As society starts to take climate change more and more seriously, spoken word artist and musican Sarah Smouts work is more urgent than ever. Sarah performed at The Joinery in […]
Creativity v’s Curriculum
Stories touch everyone’s imagination, but none more so than children. That is why storytelling and that arts play such an important part in a child’s life. As budgets get cut, […]
Volunteers – the lifeblood of Society
When was the last time you gave something back to your community? Maybe you helped a neigbour. Perhaps you volunteered at your local theatre? Maybe you gave some time to […]
The 3 Billy Goats Gruf
The 3 Billy Goats Gruf Family fun activity for the Summer Hols! “Trot! Trot! Trot! Over the Rickety Bridge!” I have very fond memories of reading the story of “The […]
The 3 Little Pigs – family fun activities this Summer
We all look forward to the heady, and hopefully sunny, days of school holidays! Hooray, for children, but sometimes a stress for parents to come up with new ideas to […]
Diversity and Inclusion Training
Diversity and inclusion are often tricky subjects. Sometimes the fear of saying the wrong thing leads to people not saying anything at all, which is counter productive in every way. […]
Young creatives and qualifications! Post Arts Award Q & A
Here at Settle Stories we ran an Arts Award Week back in May 2019 with some local teenagers. We just found out that every participant that submitted a portfolio was […]
Up for a Laugh! Q & A with Steff Todd
On Saturday 13th July 2019 local lass Steff Todd returned to her hometown Settle to preview her Edinburgh Fringe show: Reality Check. Audiences can expect to belly laugh at Steff’s […]
From Giggleswick to Uganda: Q & A with Thomas Lewton
On Sunday 30th June 2019 we screened Storytelling in Africa: Changing the News Narrative. It is a presentation of short films by local lad turned professional filmmaker Thomas Lewton. Thomas […]
Visits from India: Q & A with Shanthamani Muddaiah
In June 2019 Settle Stories are joined by award-winning visual artist Shanthamani Muddaiah. Shanthamani is joining us all the way from India for our Life in our Hands project. The […]
Tales by the Ribble
“Once upon a time, in Yorkshire…” Settle Stories hosted Tales by the Ribble in partnership with the Ribble River’s Trust. The day was a completely free family fun day. Its […]
Looking into Creativity
Creativity is an essential life skill. OK, we’re an arts organisation; we’re bound to say that. As in the last twelve months we’ve been looking more at creativity through the […]
When storytelling comes to life… – Q & A with Ian Douglas
For our Tales by the Ribble family fun day, we welcomed Ian Douglas, Storyteller and Theatre Maker, to Settle. We spoke to Ian about what inspires him and what visitors […]
Minimising Stress in the Workplace – Q & A with Sita Brand
It’s important to think ahead for what we can all do to reduce the stress and pressure we put on ourselves at home and at work. Our Artistic Director/CEO Sita […]
Populating the landscape with characters – – Q & A with Dominic Kelly
On Sunday 28th April at 3pm award winning storyteller Dominic Kelly and folk musicans Bridget Marsden and Leif Ottosson perform The Big Blind at The Joinery. The story follows a […]