6th Annual FACTS & FICTION storytelling workshop

'CREATIVITY, INVENTION & HERITAGE
IN STORYTELLING'
at
THE GOTHIC WAREHOUSE, CROMFORD MILL
CROMFORD, nr MATLOCK, DERBYSHIRE
DE4 3RQ
on Saturday 14th July 2012

Your hosts:

PETE CASTLE
storyteller, folk singer, author and editor of Facts & Fiction storytelling magazine

ANDREW WRIGHT
Storyteller, educator, writer

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PETE CASTLE

has been the editor of Facts & Fiction storytelling magazine for the last 12 years. He has been a professional storyteller and folk musician for over 30 years! In those roles he has done performances and workshops at clubs, festivals, schools etc all over the UK and made trips to USA, France and Romania. He is author of Derbyshire Folk Tales and Nottinghamshire Folk Tales both published by The History Press and has recorded many CDs.

ANDREW WRIGHT

has been a regular contributor to Facts & Fiction for at least a decade. He was born and brought up in Derbyshire but now lives with his family in Hungary. He has worked all over the world, often for the British Council. Recent trips have been to Turkey and Malaysia.
As well as being a storyteller Andrew has worked in the world of language teaching for many years as a teacher, as an author, as a storymaker and as a teacher trainer. His books are published by Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Pearson Longman and Helbling Languages. These publishers have then licensed the publication of the books to many publishers in the world and so they can be found under different imprints and often translated into other languages. His main publications are:
Storytelling with Children. Oxford University Press. Second Edition 2008
Creating Stories with Children. Oxford University Press. 1997
Writing Stories (co-author David A.Hill). Helbling Languages. 2008

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Pete started the Facts & Fiction annual workshops in 2007. His aim is to take it to a different part of the country each year and to work with a different co-host—usually someone for whom that is their home area. In this way he enables different audiences to benefit from the workshops and improve their storytelling; stimulates future interest and events in an area; and, of course, plugs F&F magazine.
So far every event has been very different. One or two have been raging successes and none have been dismal failures! Each time there has been a good mix of local people and those who are willing to travel from further afield. Some are keen to come every year wherever it is!
Up to now the workshops have been held in Feb or March, but this year it moves to the summer—partly to accommodate Andrew, but also to benefit from the summer weather. We hope that you’ll not only come to the workshop but stay on and explore the area!

SHAPE OF THE DAY
Following on from previous years we start at 10am with introductions and some ice-breaking activities. Then the rest of the morning will be taken up with Andrew’s input on ‘the craft of storytelling’. After lunch Pete will take over with creating stories—working from little snippets and punch lines to make ‘proper’ stories. The day will finish with a question and answer session and a story-round for those who want to contribute.
In the evening Andrew and Pete will present a performance of stories and songs. Some of this will be very specific local material but other items will be more general. (see below)

FOOD!
We are lucky this year in that there is a restaurant on site! (In the past it has sometimes been a bit of a problem to fit it in.) Tea and coffee will be available morning and afternoon but please bring teabags or something if you want anything special. Provisionally we will probably provide a sandwich at lunchtime and then after the workshop and before the evening concert we will go for a communal meal in the Wharf Café. (Obviously you chose what you want and pay for that yourself.) You are welcome to invite partners to this meal as well. It usually turns out to be a very friendly affair.
The café is licensed and will be open in the evening for drinks.

SUNDAY
A new innovation this year is that workshoppers (and their partners) will be invited to join Andrew and Pete on a free guided walk on Sunday morning. It won’t be a marathon trek but will take in some of the fascinating historic and interesting bits of the local landscape and environment including (probably) the Cromford Canal, the start of the High Peak Trail, the homes of Florence Nightingale and Alison Uttley, Richard Arkwright’s ‘castle’ and back to Cromford Mill.

WHO IS IT FOR?
The F&F workshops have never been aimed at a specific group and we have always found that both experienced storytellers and beginners have profited from it. With Andrew’s interest in, and experience of, storytelling in education we would particularly point teachers and other educationalists towards it this year although that doesn’t mean it will only be of relevance to them.

COST
Priced are unchanged from last year at £50 for the day/£40 usual concessions. This includes the evening concert and Sunday walk. (You need to buy extra evening tickets for partners.)

HOW TO PAY/BOOK
Please print off and fill in the booking form below and send it to Pete along with your cheque.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD BOOKING FORM (pdf)

EVENING PERFORMANCE

‘HERITAGE TALES’
7.00—9.30pm
Free to workshoppers. Everyone else £7/£5 usual concessions

This performance/concert is open to everyone. Pete and Andrew will present a set off mainly traditional stories and songs. Some will be very local—Pete will probably tell the tale of Crooker which is set along the River Derwent just half a mile from the venue for instance, and some other Derbyshire material both stories and songs. Other material will be drawn from further afield—perhaps tales Andrew has picked up on his travels.
The Wharf building is a lovely venue—not too large and with good acoustics. The café will be open for you to buy drinks which you are welcome to bring in.
This is a unique opportunity to see and hear Andrew Wright as he is based in Hungary and rarely works in the UK.

For tickets send a SAE and a cheque made out to Steel Carpet Music to Pete Castle, 42 Mill St. Belper, Derbyshire, DE56 1DT
Enquiries: Pete on 01773-822829
Email: steel.carpet@tiscali.co.uk

CROMFORD and the DERWENT VALLEY WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Cromford Mill is one of the key sites in the Derwent Valley World Heritage Site which stretches from Matlock Bath to the Silk Mill in Derby. The area gained World Heritage Site status in 2001 because of its key role in the starting of the Industrial Revolution. It might not be where the factory system was actually invented but it is where it was made to work.
Richard Arkwright built his first cotton spinning factory at Cromford in 1771 and over the years the site expanded. One of his main innovations was the factory town with housing, school, churches, pub, shops... to support the mill. Most of those still exist and form the heart of Cromford.
The canal was built to supply the mill and to carry away the finished goods. Likewise the High Peak Railway linked the area with the west coast.

What to do/see:
Why not come to the workshop and spend a long weekend or even a week exploring the area!
Walk the canal to Ambergate and the High Peak Trail almost to Buxton!
Visit Matlock Bath, variously described as ‘an inland seaside’ or Switzerland in the heart of England.
Climb Black Rocks
Visit Chatsworth and Haddon Hall which are only 20 minutes drive away.
Be daring and venture into the heart of the Peak District—the famous Dove Dale is easily accessible.
Go a few miles south to another ‘factory town’ Belper, built by the Strutt family, friends and colleagues of Arkwright.

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