Celebrate this Yorkshire Day with Yorkshire Festival of Story

Yorkshire Festival of Story launches on Saturday 1st August with a brand new poem for the region created by Sheffield Poet Laureate, Otis Mensah Festival Guest Director, Yorkshire author Joanne Harris MBE, will be the first headliner for the online festival that boasts 80 events available for free across August. There has never been a better time to celebrate our great county.

2020 has brought challenges and difficulties, but the people of Yorkshire have lived up to their friendly, resilient reputation. Yorkshire Festival of Story showcases the best voices from our region. The festival includes emerging Yorkshire filmmakers and storytellers, as well as some legendary Yorkshire names. Strong Yorkshire women are a recurring theme of this year's festival with Barnsley’s feisty BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour presenter Dame Jenni Murray hosting two talks. Breakfast with Yorkshire Women on Yorkshire Day weekend will see Murray joined by Joanne Harris and Sue Newby from the Bronte Parsonage Museum. Storyteller Danyah Miller returns to her roots in her series of Bedtime Tales inspired by her Yorkshire childhood.

Our region’s landmarks will also be celebrated throughout the festival with multiple events in honour of Ribblehead Viaduct’s 150th anniversary, including an interactive fiction about Shanty Towns. Juliett Klotropp is a young filmmaker from the Yorkshire Dales whose film Youth of Rural North will premiere at the festival. Storyteller Jon Buckeridge tells ancient stories of Bradford in The Forgotten Tales, whilst Nick Hennessey performs as unconventional Dalesman, Reginald Farrer, in The Great Botanical Adventure. Premium festival sponsor and Yorkshire rooted company Aunt Bessie’s will announce their new children’s competition this Yorkshire Day. Sita Brand, Festival Organiser, commented:

We are so thrilled to be able to celebrate our great county through this festival. The people of Yorkshire have been through so much in 2020 so Yorkshire Day deserves a proper celebration this August!

The Festival’s organisers would like to thank their Premium Sponsor Aunt Bessie’s and main funders, Arts Council England and National Lottery Heritage Fund for all their support. Schedule your August to be artistic and colourful with the storytelling festival that is free and available online everywhere.


Yorkshire Festival of Story will run throughout August.
Full programme is now available at:

www.yorkshirefestivalofstory.com

Telephone Bookings: 01729 822292
.