The idea
Our festival is a three day weekend of events for all ages from babies through to teenagers with authors, illustrators, storytellers, drama, craft workshops, music, story treasure hunts, collaborative projects, bookshop crawls and much more. We offer a week long programme of free events to local schools prior to the main festival weekend, bringing authors, illustrators and storytellers of all sorts to primary and secondary schools and helping to support literacy curriculums. We work with various local groups to reach vulnerable communities and bring the joy of stories and the importance of literacy to all areas of our local community, highlighting the various different ways that stories can be accessed and strengthening literacy in non-traditional ways which are accessible for all bodies and brains.
What we'll deliver
- 5 days of visits provided free to local schools
- Opportunities offered to over 1000 children from Kent & Medway
- Events with a wide range of different types of storytellers!
Why it's a great idea
The South East of the country currently has the second lowest levels of reading enjoyment in the entire UK, according to 2025 National Literacy Trust research. By providing new ways to engage with stories through interactive events, board games, puzzles, animation, illustration, graphic novels and lots more, we will help to re-engage children with literacy in a different way and bring them new experiences.
We work directly with local schools and various youth groups who in turn work with children and teenagers from some of the most deprived areas of Kent, and are able to provide them with amazing opportunities. Stronger literacy skills lead to better life choices and even to longer life expectancy, and we provide opportunities both in July and soon to be year-round to help support and expand this.
Steps to get it done
- Booking all authors & speakers
- Confirming venues
- Confirming school visits
- Confirming school fundraising
- Configuring multi school event collaboration
- Applying for grants
- Contacting & confirming partnerships with youth groups
- Creating programme
- Printing & distributing programme & advertising festival
- Print advertising & interviews
- Social Media advertising & newsletters
- Running schools programme
- Running festival weekend
