Tales come to life for Northamptonshire pupils at storytelling event

A group of year five and six pupils from the school, which is located on the developer’s Glenvale Park development, visited the housebuilder’s newly opened show home, where experienced storyteller, Mark Fraser, shared stories from his expansive repertoire.

Mrs Bilkhu, Headteacher at The Glenvale C of E Primary School, said: “It was lovely to see how Mark captivated the children’s attention and stimulated their imaginations with the way he brought the stories to life. A truly wonderful experience for our children.”

Mark is a traditional storyteller who brings stories to life at many events, schools, museums and heritage sites across a wide range of counties.

He said: “It was amazing to celebrate National Storytelling Week with The Glenvale C of E Primary School. Traditional storytelling can give so much to people of all ages, as well as children and these days it's more important than ever.

“Thank you to Barratt and David Wilson Homes for providing this opportunity, and to the school for being so cooperative. I really hope the children enjoyed the magic of storytelling.”

National Storytelling Week, an annual event organised by the Society for Storytelling, is celebrated by people of all ages, and aims to keep stories new and old alive.

The children experienced first-hand how oral storytelling has allowed stories to survive and evolve over thousands of years, and across continents.

Alison Raine, Sales Director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes Northampton, said: “It was a pleasure to provide pupils at The Glenvale C of E Primary School with an afternoon of storytelling, and we know Mark’s stories will have really enchanted the children.

“Storytelling encourages skills such as reading, writing, listening and creativity, and we hope some pupils may go on to tell and write stories of their own.”

To learn more about Mark’s work, visit the website at Mark Fraser the Storyteller.