Danielle Brown MBE, twice gold-medal winning Paralympian archer and children’s author, was amongst the crowds at the final Story Quest event of 2019 on Saturday 7 September.
Danielle delighted families with tales of her sporting achievements, whilst giving youngsters the inspiring opportunity to try on her gold medals. Families were also treated to tales from brilliant local storyteller Alan Barrett. Activities happened across Tunstall Memorial Gardens and Tunstall Library, who were very accommodating of their special guests.
The event was the final of six Story Quest events during the summer holidays, where families could explore their next trail, try a range of sports activities and choose a free book to take home.
Story Quests are fun, fictional adventure stories that help families explore outdoor spaces in Burslem and Tunstall and uncover exciting and interesting facts about each area:
- Do you know about Whitfield Valley Nature Reserve’s royal connections?
- Do you know which Burslem town centre statue Robbie Williams wrote one of his most famous songs about?
Each Story Quest follows the adventures of Josh, Yasmin, Grandpa Matt and Valiant the puppy, helping families to explore the great outdoors and complete mini writing and exercise challenges along the way. Families can travel through time, meet local celebrities and discover ancient treasures – right on their doorsteps. Funded by Sport England, Story Quest is an initiative to help local families fall in love with reading and get active together.
Families can still take part in a Story Quest by signing up online at www.storyquest.org.uk or by visiting one of five local sign-up points:
- The Mammoth Mystery at Tunstall Park
Tunstall Library - open: Monday - Wednesday 9:00 to 18:00, Thursday - 9:00 to 14:00, Friday - 9:00 to 18:00, Saturday - 10:00 to 14:00 - Flight to Fame at Westport Lake
Green Door - open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10:30 to 17:00 - Pitch Perfect at Burslem Park
Port Vale Shop - open from Monday to Saturday, 9:00 to 17:00 - Tunstall Time Travel at Whitfield Valley Nature Reserve
Ford Green Hall - open from Sunday to Thursday, 13:00 to 16:00 - City Safari in Burslem Town Centre
Barewall Art Gallery - open from Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10:00 to 17:00, Wednesday 12:00 to 20:00, and Saturday 10:00 to 15:00 - Tunstall Treasure in Tunstall Town Centre
Tunstall Library - open: Monday - Wednesday 9:00 to 18:00, Thursday - 9:00 to 14:00, Friday - 9:00 to 18:00, Saturday - 10:00 to 14:00
Over the summer over 200 families in Burslem and Tunstall have completed at least one Story Quest, with almost 30 families completing all six trails! All of these families have received exciting prizes for taking part, including climbing wall vouchers and family personal training sessions, thanks to generous support by several local businesses.
One brilliant local supporter is the Port Vale Foundation. The third story, Pitch Perfect, is set in Burslem Park and follows Yasmin as she goes for a trial with Port Vale’s youth team. Boomer the mascot has attended many weekly family events, families can collect everything they need to take part from the club shop and every child who completes the Burslem Park Story Quest gets a free match day ticket!
The foundation hosted a fantastic celebration match day for the project on Saturday 31 August. Thanks to Story Quest, families were invited to a meet and greet with PVFC staff members, given free access to the fun of the family zone, with face painting, crafts and more. They could have a pre-match photograph taken with Boomer, and complete a lap of honour at half-time with the scoreboard.
Danielle Brown MBE, Paralympic Gold Medallist, said:
“‘I had an awesome time at the Story Quest in Stoke. It was great to see so many families engaging in both sport and reading – and it was lovely to meet everybody taking part. There were quite a few talented young archers there too! Initiatives like this are so important and it was a privilege to be involved.”
Lois Bateman, Story Quest Project Manager, said:
“It was an absolute pleasure to have Danielle along at our final event. The children loved holding her medals and hearing about her career.
“We’re delighted by the number of families we’ve seen doing Story Quest over the summer. We’ve had wonderful feedback from families who have attended every event, and Story Quest has become a part of their weekly routine – they come to the event in the morning, try all the activities and then spend the afternoon reading the stories together. We know how beneficial it is for families to share stories together, and it’s a pleasure to see a love of reading emerging across these families.”
We will be releasing brand new stories over the next year. Watch this space!