Taking stories to the Hawick streets

The regeneration group has obtained the services of visiting story tellers Taffy Thomas and Anne Pitcher, neither of them strangers to Hawick.

Taffy, a friend of the late Willie Scott who will be remembered by many, is a patron and former laureate of the Society of Storytelling and has a repertoire of over 300 stories, collected mainly from traditional oral sources, while Anne, who regularly uses puppets and props, is a vibrant story teller with a passion for stories rich in humour drama, mystery and wonder. Taffy will be appearing at Graeme Webb Photography, while Anne will be based at the Salvation Army Charity Shop.

Local entertainers are also to the fore with Derek Inglis and Joyce Tinlin presenting their own brand of story-telling throughout the day at Dorwards, while the Heart of Hawick café will feature performances from Katherine Scoular’s High School Group, Thomas Clark, and Norman Givens. To complete the picture the Act 1 youth theatre group will be putting words into action at their coffee morning in the Catholic Church Hall.

Sub-group leader Anne Borthwick said “We are really pleased to have obtained the services of all our performers, and I am sure they will each bring their own particular blend of marvel and wonder to the day. While Joyce, Anne, and Norman will put particular emphasis on the youngsters, our other guests can, and will, cater for all ages. It’s a full programme and we hope it will provide a great day of enjoyment.

There are no admission charges for the shops or café. Our storytelling is completely free and people just need to turn up.”

Events will run at the different venues from 10.00am to 4.00pm.