Every Child Has a Story: We Heard Them Loud and Clear

This week, I had the absolute joy of spending the day at a Primary School in Bradford, and what unfolded there reminded me, once again, why this work matters so much.

Through The Adventures of Bradford workshop, powered by our StoryQuest™ framework, we watched Year 5 students transform into authors. They didn’t just write stories. They created worlds. They discovered their voices. And more importantly, they believed in themselves.

From “Tell Me More” to “I’m an Author”

We began with the same question that sparked The Adventures of Gabriel, the book I co-created with my son:
“What if you were the hero of your own story?”

From there, the room ignited. Each child crafted their own protagonist, a version of themselves, reimagined. They chose sidekicks (yes, we had dragons, robots, and more than one enchanted cat), set off on daring quests, and faced villains ranging from sea monsters to alien overlords.

But they didn’t do it alone. One child would orate while their partner played scribe, capturing every detail:
“What does it look like?”
“What happens next?”
“How does the hero save the day?”

This approach does more than generate words on a page, it builds confidence, encourages listening, and removes the fear of the blank sheet.

A Day of Discovery, Creativity, and Courage

By afternoon, the students were revising their drafts and illustrating their tales, the final step in their storytelling journey. But what stood out most wasn’t the quality of the stories (which was incredible), but the joy behind them.

Here’s what some of the young authors shared:

“Amazing! Best day ever! I feel more confident.”
“I love being an author because I felt as though I could express myself.”
“The only superpower you need is imagination.”
“Today was really fun because my mind was in a world where anything is possible.”

I couldn’t have said it better.

Why This Workshop Matters

We’re often told that children need structure to succeed, and yes, structure has its place. But so does freedom. So does imagination. So does the ability to say, “I made this. This is mine.”

The StoryQuest™ method is about more than writing. It’s about identity, agency, and self-expression. It lets children organise the chaos of their ideas into something beautiful, personal, and shareable. And as they do, grammar, structure, and vocabulary follow, not because they’re told to, but because they want to get it right.

Inspired by Gabriel, Led by Children

What makes this movement special is how it started, just me and Gabriel, telling stories on Friday evenings. He spoke, I scribbled. That simple act,a mother listening to her child’s imagination, has now become a citywide celebration of children’s voices.

The children at Beckfoot Allerton knew all about Gabriel. And knowing that a child just like them had published a book lit something up in them.

“If Gabriel can do it, so can I.”

That belief, that their stories matter, is at the heart of everything we do.

The Next Chapter: The Adventures of Bradford

Each school we visit will contribute to a growing anthology, The Adventures of Bradford, a citywide celebration of young authors and their wild, brilliant imaginations.

Every story matters. Every voice counts.

If you're a school or organisation in Bradford and want to join us, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s give more children the chance to tell their stories, not just to build better writers, but to build more confident, connected humans.

Learn more at: theadventuresofgabriel.com/bradford

Because when we give children the space to speak and the tools to be heard, amazing things happen.