Headlines from Stepping Into Stories 2023

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• Over 6,500 people took part in total across a seven day festival, from 30 Jan - 5 Feb 2023

• 60 events were delivered, including school, public and virtual, covering workshops, performance, theatre and industry panels 

• 1,941 local school children and teachers joined the festival from forteen local schools, many in some of London’s areas of highest deprivation

• 2,958 school children took part virtually from nineteen schools across the country and overseas 

• 1,309 members of the general public took part in person and virtually

• 573 tickets were given for free throughout the festival week 

• 81 children entered the story-making competition from as far afield as Holland, Spain and Serbia

• The festival was opened by Waterstones Children's Laureate, Joseph Coelho

• The Mayor of Lambeth, the Deputy Mayor of Southwark, and Helen Hayes MP joined the festival in celebration of its social impact

• Feature interviews appeared in Fun Kids Radio, London Live, BBC London Radio, Southwark News, Book Brunch, South London Magazine, Riverside Radio, Brixton Blog and more

• 99% of children taking part would recommend the festival to their friends… 

 

“Such an important festival and one that makes a huge difference to the community” - AM Dassu, winner of the Little Rebels Award for Radical Children's Fiction 

 

“I loved it because of everything” - audience participant, aged 8

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