BASE jumping!

Some of you will already be aware that I was nominated for the 'Trailblazer' award for my Storywalks, from the British Award For Storytelling Excellence, known as BASE for short. Even more exciting though was the fact I had been shortlisted!

The other nominees in my category were 'The History Press' who specialise in regional folk stories, and  are unusual in that they actively search for regional storytellers who know the local tales and then put these into print. This is a logical solution as surely if you are to publish a book about local folk stories then you should go see the specialist, ie the Storyteller!

Also Katrice Horsley, the current UK story teller Laurette was in my category, so pretty stiff competition, but the vote was to be a public one via the Story Awards web site. Happy to be content with bronze (and realistically keeping my feet on the ground) I thought it would be silly not to ask family and friends to cast a vote for their favourite, and perhaps a few visitors to my Somerset Art Week venue which was on during the month of voting.

The award ceremony was last Saturday, and my wife and I travelled up to the midlands for the show, and even though voting had been closed and counted two weeks before, the winners would not be revealed until the night, Oscars style. So I was asked to write a speech no longer than 4 minutes, and initially thought that there was no real need, but then the part of me which yearned for it to come true said that I should, which was probably a darn good thing.

So my heart was on my sleeve when the Trailblazer nomination came around, and astoundingly when they said the words 'and the winner is - Christopher Jelley' my legs went totally wobbly and I was just dumbfounded.

The rest is a blur so to speak, but the photo's of the night look like I knew what I was saying, all I can say is amazing. The other nominees have outstanding work and I was thrilled to be shortlisted with them, but to actually receive the award is astonishing. 

So Saturday was an incredible day but Tuesday was way up there too as it was my first with Norton St Philips school near Frome, as teacher Claire Vowell won an award from the SHINE TRUST, (one of only eleven granted in the UK) to use GPS enabled Storywalks to help with her pupils literacy.

And even on the first day we made progress -  a child who would not read in class, nor to the classroom assistant, and certainly would not read at home, read my story walk aloud. Out in the field, away from the classroom, perhaps he was not feeling the same constraints as imposed indoors, amazing. Lets hope there are other successes over the days I am working with them, and we are able to lift their attainment levels.

As progress is made I shall post and let you know all about it. If you want me to bring interactive story walks into your school then please do get in touch. Together with Claire Vowell of Norton St Philips school, we are truly trailblazing, and hopefully doing something new with literacy. 

As we all know some kids can sit still to read and focus, whilst others find it a lot harder, they would rather be climbing a tree or running across a field, but if you could place the story up the tree, or across a meadow . . . . . ?