Stories from Long Ago - Rachel Bennington

Rachel Bennington is a storyteller. “I tell traditional folk tales and myths and legends, as they might have been told long ago when the oral tradition was still popular”, she says. This weekend she is holding two sessions, for children aged four to nine, in Southover Grange, as part of the National Share-a-Story Month. “The whole oral tradition has eroded, especially in the last 100 years or so”, she says. “But in the last twenty years there has been a bit of a resurgence. Children respond particularly well to storytelling because it fires their imagination. Spoken-word stories enable them to be highly spontaneous with their imagination, in a way that written words do not”. Rachel’s method of getting the kids involved is interactive. “It is important that they join in with the process”, she says. When I ring her she isn’t sure which stories she’s going to tell. “I will include European folk tales, or stories from further afield”, she says. “Telling stories is a good way to introduce multiculturalism to children”.

The event is organised by the pro-active Lewes Children’s Book Group, the organisation responsible for the marvellous storyboards in the library, which was in charge of the latest Federation of Children’s Book Group conferences last month. The group also organises visits to town from local authors and a book-swap on the first Saturday of every half-term. After the session, weather permitting, there will be a historical trail in the Grange Gardens. AG