During 2018, Year of Our Island worked to encourage people of all ages to explore more and do more in the Isle of Man and through our grants, we partnered with over 40 projects, events, festivals and initiatives, and provided almost £75,000 of support to groups and individuals.

Storytelling has always been an important part of the culture of our island, with the myths and legends of our Celtic ancestors being passed down across the generations, becoming woven into the fabric of island life.

Stories can educate and inspire us and throughout 2018, Year of Our Island encouraged everyone to share their story about what makes our island a special place to live and work.

In celebration of World Storytelling Day on Wednesday, March 20, Year of Our Island partner, Storytellers and Storytelling Isle of Man will be St Catherine’s Church Hall in Port Erin for an evening of performances focusing on ’Myths and Legends’.

The evening will run from 6.15pm to 9pm and tickets cost £2 for adults and £1 for children.

More information can be found on the Our Island Facebook events page.

The group, which was founded in 2017 by local performance storyteller Susan Rossouw, aims to promote the traditions of ’oral storytelling’ by hosting events which allow people of all abilities and ages to share stories, songs and prose about the Isle of Man.

Last year, Our Island gave support for a storytelling tent which Susan hopes will expand the range of events that the group can attend and provide more opportunities for people to fall in love with the spoken word.

And last week saw the launch of another Year of Our Island partner initiative ’M is for Manx Cat’, a rhyming Isle of Man ABC produced by first-time author Gemma Hjerth.

The book, which will be hitting shelves in Easter, features Manx words and pronunciations, fun facts, songs and activities, all of which has been lovingly illustrated by local artist Kim Graziano.

Speaking about her book Gemma said that she knew exactly what she wanted to achieve from the beginning of the creative process:

’My aim was to create an educational, engaging and fun introduction to Our Island that would appeal to young children as well as their families,’ said Gemma.

’In time, I hope to release a colouring book and merchandise based on the illustrations in the book, and perhaps other A to Z versions in the future.’

For more information on M is for Manx Cat you can follow their page on Twitter and Facebook @isleofmanabc orvisit isleofmanabc.com

For information on Our Island email [email protected] or go to ourisland.com

by the Year of Our Island project team

www.ourisland.im