An evening storytelling show aimed at grown-ups at the hall in the village of Lydiard Millicent, near Swindon. This show features traditional oral storytelling but also Crankie Boxes! Small, low key and friendly event with informal vibe. Tea, coffee and soft drinks will be on sale.
Meetup organisers Rebecca and Chris, are also the event organisers so a level of self organisation will be needed as we'll be quite busy but there are other people attending from the meetup. Thanks for understanding :)
Afraid there's no public buses that come back to Swindon in the evening but there is plenty of parking.
Please purchase tickets (£10) from here:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/wiltshire/lydiard-millicent-parish-hall/crankie-tales-from-wales-plus-ashley-howard-live-folk-tale-performances/e-joldxb
Peter Stevenson - Crankie Tales from Wales
Peter Stevenson tells the folk tales of the Welsh coast and sea with crankies, moving illustrated scrolls turned by handles in a large wooden box, movies from the days before electricity and cinema. Hear tales of drunken mermaids, swan girls, the Green Man of No One's Land, Siani Chickens who lived on the beach, old Beti's love potions, Skomer Oddy the giant, Shemi the Fibber of Fishguard, the war on the little mountain, and Henry Box Brown who escaped slavery and brought crankies to the UK. Join Peter on a journey that blends past and present and explores the social and environmental change that is carved into the Welsh coastline. Stories will be chosen from his two new books, Welsh Folk Tales of Coast and Sea, and Illustrated Welsh Folk Tales for Young and Old
Peter is a storyteller, book illustrator, folklorist and writer for children and grown-ups, who has written many books about Welsh and World folk tales, illustrated countless collections of fairy tales and was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Children's Literature in 2026. He has told tales on Broadway, in Central Park, in a Maori marae in Aotearoa New Zealand, across the Appalachian mountains, amongst the bee orchids in the dunes at Rosslare ferry port, on story walks around Wales, and has made independent films about Welsh folk tales which have been shown at festivals across the world.
Ashley Howard
Ashley Howard is a Stroud-based storyteller rooted in the oral tradition. Ashley believes that story is a shortcut to the inherited wisdom of our forebears—helping us understand more about what it is to be human: to long, to lose, to love, to make mistakes, to seek meaning, to face the dark, and to find our way home. Drawing from myth, folklore and fairytale, Ashley tells stories not as entertainment alone, but as nourishment—for imagination, memory, and soul. With a background in voice work and performance, he invites listeners into a shared space where ancient stories breathe again, and something old and essential stirs.
Ashley will be telling the Russian fairytale Marco The Rich And Vasily The Luckless described below:
“In a vast palace there is a basement. In the basement there is a vault, and in the vault there is a man hunched over a desk with a grin from ear to ear surrounded by stacks of moneys, which he counts ruble after ruble after ruble. Ten miles away, in a wind-bent village living hand to mouth a child is born to the poorest couple. Little do they know that their lives are soon to be braided into a playful, pacy tale with humour, heart, and a last-minute surprise."
Doors open at 6.45pm and the show will begin at 7.15pm sharp. There will be two intervals to purchase drinks and have comfort breaks. We expect to finish by 10pm.
Our storytelling events usually sell out so please buy your ticket as soon as you can if you plan to come. Learn more about Forging Fantastical here @forgingfantastical forging-fantastical.org
