Short Story Lady holds events, book signings and workshops at venues throughout Greater Manchester.

I have a range of packages, from storytelling for pre-schoolers to Imagination Journeys and story-writing workshops for older children. I also offer puppet-making workshops, suitable for a range of venues and events.

To book, Contact me. I have full DBS (CRB) clearance and Public Liability Insurance (link to insurance details below).

Here are some of the places I’ve been:

St. Anne’s CE Primary Holiday Club

Children made puppets, drew backdrops, wrote a script and acted it out, all with my expert guidance. I have been invited to the St. Anne’s holiday club twice so far, and both times we’ve made beautiful imaginative stories.

Munch Club Sale West

To fit their superhero theme in the summer, I got the children to make their own spoon puppet superheroes, then we made a storyboard for those characters to act out their own superhero adventure!

I was invited back for the Easter holiday club, where we made glove puppets for a puppet show. We had a great time acting out a play the children wrote with a ninja princess, a crocodile, a dragon, a mermaid and a royal bunny rabbit!

 

Envirolution Festival

In the dedicated Story Corner, I told a range of creation stories, explaining everything from how birds got their bright colours to how foxes got the white flash on their tails. Children of all ages helped by using fabrics and puppets to play the part of the wind, the sun, various creatures and characters. They put their imaginations to work, thinking up alternative endings to familiar stories and applying fictional lessons to their own lives.

Prestwich Clough Festival

Despite the rain, a great time was had by all at this family-friendly festival. I told a number of traditional stories to families, from “Jack and the Beanstalk” to “Puff the Magic Dragon”, throughout the afternoon.

The Conservation Volunteers

Storytelling, nature crafts and outdoor puppetry were order of the day at Sale Water Park’s “Go Wild” event.

Kumon

I made hand-stitched books with a number of children and families, and they listened, enthralled, to my wonderful stories at the end. A beautiful way to end Kumon’s “summer of reading” festival.

After Adoption, Burnage, Chorlton

I told stories for two of their Summer events with plenty of audience participation, and made spoon puppets, teddy bear glove puppets and sock puppets with children aged under 11 at After Adoption’s summer party for families with adopted children.

Denzell Gardens Book Festival, Bowdon

For two consecutive years I have been invited to tell stories and sell storytelling accessories at this family book festival, to the delight of children and adults alike.

Coppice Library, Trafford

Various events here, from running a Harry Potter Book Night and a Narnia party, to storytelling for a Community Fun Day, held to raise awareness of the library’s vital role in the Sale West community.  I told a number of stories, both traditional fairytales and stories from my books, to an appreciative audience of all ages. For more information on my work in libraries, see my Libraries page.

Altrincham Library, Trafford

Sale Library, Trafford

Didsbury Library, Manchester

A series of workshops at these libraries for children and their families, about writing Drabble stories (stories containing exactly 100 words). I read from my much-loved book “Drabble Folk and Fairy Tales” and held  book signings after the workshop.

After Adoption, Rusholme

I was invited to tell stories, make puppets and design superhero capes with the children for their winter party.

Mums in the Know, Heald Green

I told stories and sold my finger puppets, delighting children throughout the MITK Christmas Fair.

St. Mary’s Church centre, Ashton on Mersey

I’ve done live storytelling here, as well as several puppet-making sessions during the school holidays. I work with children and young people throughout the week in various groups.

Serendipitea and Coffee Shop, Sale

I’ve held storytelling sessions here, both in term time and school holidays, I also ran a puppet-making workshop for school-aged children here. My illustrated stories were displayed on the walls for several months.