So here we are at last, then. Taleblazers. An idea and name that Kev and I first discussed about 15 years ago but never really had time to do much with. We always planned to come back and do something with it at some point, so here we are at last.
Taleblazers is our new CIC/social enterprise. Our core goal is to find, research and retell the folk stories of south Devon and Dartmoor and bring them to new audiences, and to engage young people in the art of oral storytelling. We’re also offering workshops for schools, expedition support for outdoor education programmes (eg Duke of Edinburgh) and support for students with special educational needs.
Kev and I have done a lot of stuff together. We met at Cubs at the age of seven, went to school together, played D&D together, went to gigs together, worked together, started a cricket club together. We both love walking, being in the outdoors, folklore and storytelling, so maybe it was inevitable that eventually we’d start this business together too.
He’s an amazing guy. He has a rare and natural ability to tell stories, to create an intimacy with his audience, to bring them in to the performance of his tales. Every audience I’ve seen him work his art on is captivated. More than that, his tales and ballads are meticulously researched, blending the art of the telling with a solid grounding in historical origins. He is so talented and I can’t wait until we start to bring his ballads to a wider audience.
The third member of our team is my friend Victoria who will be working on the project management side. Like us, she has a passion for the outdoors and for working on collaborative projects with the local community. She is also the queen of the Swedish fika (institutionalised coffee and cake) and is one of the most organised people I know, so she’s going to be a real asset to our team.
We have about a million ideas at the moment so our website shows just the main focus of our initial work, and we’ll expand it in time as our plans start to come to fruition. There are a lot of things in the pipeline so please sign up to our mailing list and give us a like and follow on your favoured social media. If you have any ideas or suggestions or would like to work with us, please give us a shout via the contact form.