In celebration of National Storytelling Week (30th January – 5th February), stories were brought to life for pupils at Heartwood CE VC Primary School and Nursery thanks to a virtual storytelling event organised by Barratt Homes.
In light of the pandemic and, at a time when many school pupils want a personalised experience, Barratt Homes has transformed its usual storytelling event into a virtual event so that children can still enjoy the stories.
The school is based near Barratt Homes’ new Ceres Rise development, and the event is another part of the housebuilder’s outreach to the local community.
The pupils were invited to the session for a morning of magical storytelling, hosted on Zoom by experienced storyteller Richard York, who created a tailored experience for classes from Year 2 to Year 4.
Richard is a traditional storyteller, multi-instrumental musician and composer who brings stories to life at many events, schools, museums and heritage sites across a wide range of counties.
Richard said: “It was a delight to work with the school to celebrate National Storytelling Week. Traditional storytelling can give so much to people of all ages, as well as children and these days it’s more important than ever.
“Their responses show how much the magic of these stories, often passed down over many hundreds of years, can still come through despite the limitations of having to work online rather than the shared experience of being in the room together.
“Thank you to Barratt Homes for providing this opportunity, and to the school for being so cooperative.”
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.
Rebecca Starman, Deputy Headteacher at Heartwood CE VC Primary School and Nursery, said: “The children really enjoyed the engaging storytelling sessions with Richard. We had truly captivated audiences across the school. Thank you to Barratt Homes for enriching our school’s National Storytelling Week celebrations.”
The children experienced first-hand how oral storytelling has allowed stories to survive and evolve over thousands of years, and across continents.
Will Phair, Sales Director at Barratt Homes Cambridgeshire, said: “It was a pleasure to invite pupils from Heartwood CE VC Primary School and Nursery to join us for a storytelling morning and Richard’s stories really enchanted the children which was great to see.
“Events such as these give us the opportunity to make a difference in the communities in which we build and encourage skills such as reading, writing, listening and creativity.”
