Manchester United
Rona Barbour - The Storyteller, has been involved in the Commercial Department of this club since the early nineties and her contributon has been very highly valued. As a Master of Ceremonies in the VIP and Europa suite at Old Trafford, Rona has the remarkable and enviable ability to charm everyone she comes into contact with and be they young or old they all have the same impression of her.
A delightful individual with a real zest for life which is infectious.
Sally Waterworth – Hospitality and Venue Sales Manager Manchester United.
Storytelling at Adelaide School in Crewe 2nd October 2006
Thank-you so much for spending the morning with us. I have had hugely positive feedback from both pupils and staff. I thought that the stories were ideally suited to the different groups and your delivery was superb! As you know many of our pupils struggle to listen or sit still for long because of ADHD or similar difficulties yet they were completely engaged in the stories and were able to sit for nearly an hour!
We will make a feature of the event on our virtual learning site as well as in our school newsletter. We have close links with other schools in Crewe and have passed on your details to some of them with a strong recommendation. Fabulous value! Thanks again, Clare
Clare Horrocks Head of English Adelaide School (Supporting Children with Emotional and Behaviour Difficulties)
Cancer Aid and Listening Line
I am writing to thank you for captivating our group with your wonderful stories. I got lots of feedback from the group all very positive, they found the stories so believable in the way they were told. We would love to invite you back again and I will be in touch with you at some point in the future.
I have enclosed CALL’s latest newsletter, it gives you a flavour of the sort of things done to raise funds to provide our service in the community.
Thank you once again for your enthralling stories. I think it took us back to our own childhood of being told stories and also telling stories to our children. I feel storytelling is such an important part of communicating and educating so all success to you in the work you do in schools.
With very best wishes.
Yours sincerely, Lynne Bezzina Volunteers Manager Cancer Aid and Listening Line
In Schools – Workshops – Corporate – Other Professionals
Rona Barbour-The Storyteller, spent a week at King Richard School in Cyprus, from Monday 5th to Friday 9th July This was the school’s annual activities week when students in Key Stage 3 are off timetable and follow a programme of different activities on a daily basis.
During her visit Rona worked with a different group of students and various members of staff each day and all her sessions were a great success with everybody who attended them. Not only is she an expert and mesmerising teller of stories, but she also strikes up a wonderful rapport with her audience, learning every student?s name in a matter of minutes at the start of a session and then remembering the names during the week.
I had not seen a professional storyteller at work before and to say I was impressed would be an understatement. The stories, which sometimes employed props, held the audience spellbound of course, but students were also encouraged to contribute their own ideas as well as take part in other activities.
Such was Rona’s impact that we have every intention of inviting her back again next year. I would strongly recommend her to any school, particularly those that might not have entertained a story teller before, because the experience of seeing and working with such a talented and generous professional is one that should not be missed by students or by staff.
Michael Leverett. Head of English – King Richard School – Cyprus
Longford Park School
October 2004:Our Storyteller – Rona Barbour Rona has become a very special visitor at Longford Park School and these are just some of the comments that describe this lovely person and her storytelling.
- She is incredibly striking in appearance and her clothes are lovely! There is an aura of mystery about her.
- Her voice is delightful – she makes you want to stop and listen.
- Her voice can be described as “hypnotic”.
- She is very astute and immediately understands the children’s needs.
- Her stories reflect any subject, or topic suggested by staff or pupils.
- The stories she tells are pitched at the appropriate level for the children.
- She carefully develops their vocabulary and extends it further.
- As you watch the children listening, they gradually follow her into the story.
- When children do ask questions they are carefully and sensitively answered
- During her stories things become real!
- Her stories incorporate morals important for children to understand.
- She carefully explains “new words”.
- Oh! She’s brilliant, fantastic.
- What more can we say, except thank you so much from everybody.
Longford Park. School in Stretford, Manchester XXX
