Storytale Festival CIC was launched by local parents in 2019, with a programme of fun, affordable and inspiring events about books, stories, reading and illustration. The festival has grown every year since, and 2026 – our biggest yet – brings an exciting programme in October, including school events across the city.

We believe every child in Bristol should have the chance to be inspired by stories, regardless of background or circumstance.

But right now, fewer children are reading for pleasure, and the gap in reading enjoyment between kids from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers is growing. This affects education and wellbeing, which deepens inequalities and hurts our communities.

We’re working with brilliant authors to bring the joy of books to Bristol schools during the National Year of Reading – but we need your help to make it happen.

Let's get these authors into local classrooms, leading workshops that encourage kids to ‘Go All In’ on reading. We’ll deliver books for each school to keep too.

This fundraiser will cover the cost of books and a fair fee for authors. We’re aiming to reach £5,000 by 9th November, which will allow us to deliver books and workshops to at least ten schools.

Every donation helps create an inspiring author-led event and add their wonderful books in school libraries across Bristol, from Kingswood to Redland.

Donate today and help more kids in Bristol enjoy getting lost in the pages of a good book and take a step towards a lifelong reading habit.

You can find out more about Storytale Festival on our website here and see some online events on our YouTube channel here.

Some of our past events