Every Child’s Story Comes to Life

This week, The Yorkshire Post featured our storytelling initiative, The Adventures of Bradford, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the spotlight on what has become more than just a workshop series. It’s a movement.

A movement that begins with a simple truth:
Every child has a story.
Every child deserves to be heard.

Breaking Free from the Literacy Straightjacket

Too often, I see writing lessons turn into obstacle courses, over-structured, assessment-heavy, and entirely disconnected from the emotional heart of storytelling.

But writing shouldn’t be about rules first. It should be about voice. It should start with imagination.

That’s exactly what we bring into classrooms across Bradford with our StoryQuest™ Framework. Based on a model I developed through bedtime storytelling with my son Gabriel, the framework is now helping hundreds of children discover the joy of storytelling — on their own terms.

“Normally, the teacher tells us what to do, but this time, I got to be free in my writing.”
— Year 6 Student, Manningham

Manningham: A School Transformed by Storytelling

Our recent workshop at a Manningham Primary School was a beautiful reminder of why this work matters.

Using StoryQuest™, students imagined themselves as heroes, developed their own characters and sidekicks, tackled wild adventures, and overcame fictional challenges, all while learning collaboration, curiosity, and self-belief.

One child told me:

“I believed in myself and created things I didn’t even know I could do.”

Another stayed after class to keep working on his comic book story — a child who previously avoided writing altogether.

That’s the transformation I live for.

From One Book to a Citywide Legacy

The Adventures of Bradford was born from The Adventures of Gabriel, a book Gabriel and I created together when he was 10. It started as a private project between us, he spoke, I scribbled. It became a book, then a workshop, and now, a citywide storytelling initiative.

Each school we visit creates The Adventures of [School Name], a unique anthology of that school’s young authors. And soon, we’ll bring it all together into one powerful book:

The Adventures of Bradford.

A book that will celebrate the voices of a generation, not from the perspective of teachers or parents, but from the children themselves.

Why This Matters for Bradford, and Beyond

This isn’t just about literacy.

It’s about confidence. Identity. Belonging.
It’s about saying to every child: “Your voice matters. Your imagination matters. You matter.”

And we’re not just improving writing skills. We’re teaching life skills — resilience, empathy, collaboration, emotional intelligence — all through the simple act of storytelling.

That’s why I’m asking for your support.

 If you believe in the power of children’s voices.

Let’s make sure that no child is left unheard.

Because when we tell children “Your story matters,” they begin to believe it,  and that changes everything.