NATIONAL Storytelling Week, now in its 18th year, was launched to promote the tradition of oral taletelling.

To mark last year’s event, town, district and county councillor Adam Carew invited the UK’s first laureate for storytelling, Taffy Thomas, to Whitehill and Bordon to spend a day visiting schools and to perform at The Phoenix Theatre.

Taffy and his amazing coat of many tales made a return to town last week, visiting The Phoenix on Friday for two shows - thanks to a grant from Mr Carew.

This time accompanied by Paul Knox and his atmospheric Northumbrian pipes, Taffy delighted adults and children alike with tales from his new book The Riddle in the Tale.

“I first met Taffy as a teenager telling folk tales with a piper in a pub garden at the Sidmouth Folk Festival,” Mr Carew said. “He had the place enthralled and the audience spellbound. He went on to become Britain’s first ever storyteller laureate and has been awarded an MBE by the Queen for his service to the tradition.

“I contacted him and was thrilled that, 30 years on, Taffy Thomas, Britain’s most famous storyteller, agreed to come all the way down from his Lake District home just to perform for us.

“I am once again deeply grateful to Phoenix director Rob Allerston and our amazing Phoenix Arts Centre for hosting this exciting event. Taffy has a very special gift - he has a real warmth and can remember literally hundreds of folk tales which he has collected from all over Britain. Children and parents adore him.

“It’s not every day we get Britain’s most famous storyteller come to town.”

Mr Allerston added: “We were once again delighted to host Taffy Thomas at The Phoenix and thank Adam Carew and his East Hampshire councillor’s grant for making this possible.”

Storytelling Week was from January 27 to February 3.