How to Find and Tell Your Own Story: Why Everyone Has a Story Worth Telling
Everyone has a story worth telling, yet many people believe they do not. They say things like, “Nothing interesting has ever happened to me,” or “I wouldn’t know where to […]
Why a Free Classroom Story Resource Matters: Equity, trust and real support for teachers
In education, the phrase ‘free classroom story resource’ is often misunderstood. Free is sometimes assumed to mean low quality, rushed, or designed to sell something else. But in schools, a […]
Free National Storytelling Week Events For Schools
National Storytelling Week is a moment to pause, listen and remember the power of story in the classroom. This year, we’re inviting primary schools across the UK to join us […]
Start With Story: the storytelling framework for teachers explained
You already know stories work. Children lean in. They listen. They remember. What most teachers don’t have is a clear, reliable way to use story across the curriculum without adding […]
Start With Story
The Challenge Every Teacher Faces You spend hours planning lessons. Your pupils struggle to remember content. Abstract concepts don’t stick. The workload feels unsustainable. The Solution Is Simple Start with […]
How To Find and Tell Your Story
How to find and tell your story with confidence You have stories. Real ones. Powerful ones. You just might not know how to find and tell your story yet, or […]
Why storytelling in primary schools supports wellbeing and learning
Across the UK, teachers are increasingly being asked to support children’s emotional wellbeing alongside academic progress. In this context, storytelling in primary schools is not an optional extra. It is […]
A Free, Ready-Made Nativity Story Resource for Busy Teachers This Christmas
As the festive season rapidly approaches, classrooms everywhere begin to shimmer with excitement, energy and (let’s be honest) a fair amount of glitter. The final weeks of term can be […]
Start With Story: The Book Teachers Have Been Waiting For Is Here
There’s a moment every teacher knows. You begin a story – maybe one you half-remember from childhood, maybe something you grabbed from the shelf on instinct – and the room […]
What Changes in Your Classroom When You Start With Story?
You’ve probably had this moment. You begin start with story – maybe something from a book on the shelf, maybe a folktale you half-remember from childhood – and the room […]
Learn PSHE Through Stories: Enhance Pupil Experiences with Memorable & Relatable Stories
Teaching PSHE to your pupils can feel like navigating uncharted waters when you need to teach complex emotions, relationships, and life skills to children. The answer lies in one of […]
Beyond Reading and Writing: Why Oracy Deserves a Place in Every Lesson
While we focus heavily on early reading, and teaching children to read and write, there’s another crucial skill that can transform how pupils learn: oracy. The Missing Foundation If you […]
3 Proven Benefits of Storytelling Transforming Young Learners
Every day in your classroom, you have the power to accelerate learning, boost confidence, and inspire creativity, all through one simple yet transformative practice: storytelling. Stories aren’t just entertainment; they’re […]
The Storytelling Advantage: Growing Communication Skills in Young Learners
When students struggle with vocabulary retention or hesitate to speak up, the solution might be simpler than you think. Strategic storytelling directly addresses these communication challenges while delivering measurable improvements […]
Learn Geography with Stories: Making the Earth Come Alive in Your Classroom
When most teachers think about bringing creativity into their lessons, subjects like English or Art immediately spring to mind. But what about Geography? This supposedly “dry” subject of maps, climate […]
The Unsung Hero of Learning: Why Oracy Should Top Your Teaching Priorities
Before children can write brilliantly, they must speak brilliantly. Before they can read with comprehension, they need rich spoken language. Before they can think critically, they need the vocabulary and […]
The Hidden Power of Stories: How Narratives Shape Who We Become
Think about the last time a story stopped you in your tracks. Maybe it was a novel that kept you up until 3am, a film that left you sitting in […]
3 Powerful Benefits of Using Stories for Classroom Success
In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, storytelling has emerged as one of the most powerful tools for transforming classroom experiences. Beyond entertainment, stories serve as catalysts for learning, personal development, […]
Taming the Chaos: How Storytelling Can Support Behaviour Management in the Classroom
Have you been in a classroom when raised hands became raised voices, or when a carefully planned lesson dissolved into a blur of interruptions? For some, it’s the daily drain […]
Children’s Story Competition 2025
Our popular Children’s Story Competition is back for another year with a brand new theme, new judge and great prizes up for grabs! What do you need to do to […]
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 Catherine Heinemeyer & Gemma McDermott
Changelings: Neurodiversity, Mythology and the Climate Crisis Changelings gives a voice to neurodiverse young people who share their own unique powers which stem from their sensitivities to the climate crisis. […]
An Interview with Juwen Zhang
Reviving China’s Fairy Tales: An Interview with Juwen Zhang The Dragon Daughter and Other Lin Lan Fairy Tales is a collection of traditional Chinese stories, selected and translated by Juwen […]
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 […]
An Interview with Sofie Miller
On Sunday 12th November at 2pm, Sofie Miller will take the stage at the Yorkshire Festival of Story to bring Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren’s iconic character, to life. We recently […]
Interview with Andrew Benfield and Richard Horsey
Join Andrew Benfield, Richard Horsey, Kunzang Choden and Sita on Thursday 9th November 1-2pm for ‘In Search of Yeti’. Together they will discuss Richard and Andrew’s journey through India, Myanmar, […]
Interview with Sadhana Naithani
Join us this year on Tuesday 7th November for a virtual talk with internationally acclaimed folklorist Sadhana Naithani, as she delves into the world of the folk narrative. As a […]
An Interview with Deborah Newbold
Join Deborah Newbold for King Lear Retold on Saturday 4th November 7pm-8:40pm for a deeply felt and often uproariously funny retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear. Deborah makes Shakespeare accessible to […]
An Interview with Alan Donegan
Join Alan Donegan on Tuesday 7th November 4-5pm GMT for his FREE ONLINE event. Here Alan will help you envisage and create your personally crafted extraordinary life, through accessible and […]
Interview with Children’s Story Competition Judge Atinuke
Atinuke is an award-winning children’s author and traditional oral storyteller who is this year’s Children’s Story Competition Judge. Kaden James recently caught up with Atinuke to talk about the YFOS […]
Interview with M. G. Vaciago
M.G. Vaciago is an accomplished children’s author who has won a multitude of awards including the 2023 Borough of Broxbourne award for her anti-bullying work, a finalist award for the […]
An Interview with Jeffrey Boakye
Join Jeffrey Boakye on Friday 17th Novmeber 2-3pm for his online workshop. With his new book, Jeffrey will take us on a journey of nostalgia, joy, music and entrepreneurship through […]
An interview with Lois Conlan
Lois Conlan, creator of The Travelling Shadow Theatre arts company, will be showcasing a brand-new show at this year’s festival. ‘The Gunpowder Plot’ is a shadow puppetry play that was specially commissioned by Settle Stories. Join us on Friday 3rd November to learn why […]
An Interview with Jon Buckeridge
Join Jon Buckeridge for The Beowulf Podcast each night for FREE at 9pm during this year’s festival. Be ready to hear an incredible tale that is one of the oldest […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Arts as a tool to understand our environment
We all know family life is hectic. Wouldn’t it be nice to spend a day out together? One that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Settle Stories and the […]
Resurrecting Fairy Stories with New Magic
Many of us will remember with great fondness our parents reading magical tales of faraway lands to us as children. Houses could be made of gingerbread, rabbit holes would lead […]
Celebrating the Spirit of Settle
In conversation with Jayne Davies, Heritage Project Officer for our next community heritage project; Tom Faulkner: A Portrait of Stories. Jayne Davies is a local performer, teacher and facilitator with […]
Friends, Visitors, Countrymen, Bend me an Ear
Step into The Listening Gallery in Settle where audio exhibition The Sympathetic Ear awaits your troubles. The Listening Gallery is the worlds first audio gallery in a phone box that […]
Interview with Francis Lee – God’s Own Country Director
On Sunday 31st March at 2pm we are screening God’s Own Country – Francis Lee’s first feature film as part of our Lazy Sunday Afternoon Film Club. This is an […]
How a Turning Point in life can change your story
Sometimes on our journey through life, events happen that can drastically change the path that we are on. But these events don’t always have to have a negative impact. Founder […]
Settle Stories: 2018 Story
As we begin to pack up our desks for the festive break we have been reflecting on another fantastic year here at Settle Stories and we thought it was time […]
The Arts can change lives
Hi, I’m Margaret a trustee at Settle Stories. I am 80 years old. With this in mind, I wanted to talk to you about how easy it is for older […]
Will Myths & Legends stand the test of time?
Are Myths and Legends becoming just that, or do they still continue to capture children’s imaginations? There are many different ways to tell stories and to make children aware of […]
Review: I Don’t Know What I’m Supposed To Be Doing
I Don’t Know What I’m Supposed To Be Doing: Emma Decent SETTLE STORIES: 12.10.18 Reviewed by Gill O’Donnell Although initially inspired by the phrase regularly repeated by her mother during […]
Review: Edge of Obedience
EDGE OF OBEDIENCE SETTLE STORIES: 20/9/18 Reviewed by Gill O’Donnell One of the most important functions of Settle Stories as an organisation is to bring stories from around the world to […]
Review: Soldiers of the Empire
ANNAPURNA INDIAN DANCE COMPANY: SOLDIERS OF THE EMPIRE SETTLE STORIES: 14/7/18 Reviewed by Gill O’Donnell Living in the rural Yorkshire Dales there is a danger of becoming trapped in your own […]
The past – shaping our futures
Here at Settle Stories we believe local history matters. It helps us understand who we are, where we come from and who we want to become as people and communities. […]
Making sense of life using traditional tales
Adam Sargant has a love for traditional folktales which began in his early childhood, using this he brings his passion to life by gathering various events here at Settle Stories. […]
Ursula Holden-Gill
Ursula Holden Gill is an Award-Winning Storyteller, Workshop Facilitator & Educator who is based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. She frequently travels internationally and throughout the UK, using music, movement and […]
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 […]
Work is Love Made Visible
Kerris Casey-St.Pierre is the designer of the fabulous lanterns that guided visitors on our ‘Candlelit Story Trail’ at the Settle Storytelling Festival in 2018. As Kerris has had a varied […]
Lucy’s Three Wishes
Science was an important theme of our Settle Storytelling Festival in 2018. Our science adviser and mentor is Dr. Lucy Rogers, and as a reward for her great work with […]