The SISF Community and Family Programme bookends and runs alongside the main Scottish International Storytelling Festival and is taking place between 5 October – 30 November 2026.

Community groups and schools can take part in The Big Scottish Story Ripple by holding a storytelling event led by a professional storyteller from our Storytelling Directory.

Groups can apply for a subsidy that will cover the cost of their storyteller’s fees. In return, successful applicants must offer a good deed back to their local community on or before St Andrew’s Day – continuing the ripple of kindness.

Applications are now open! Apply below ↓

Communities, Schools and Organisations

Directory Storytellers Only

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The Big Scottish Story Ripple is the Scottish International Storytelling Festival’s annual community and family programme. It connects local storytellers with schools and community groups across Scotland, creating opportunities to share stories through live storytelling events.

Schools and community groups are invited to apply for fully funded storytelling sessions led by professional storytellers from the Scottish Storytelling Forum. The festival covers all costs, and in return, participants are encouraged to give something back to their community on or before St Andrew’s Day (30 November). The result is a growing ripple of stories, and a ripple of kindness…

In 2025, the Story Ripple received 82 applications from schools, community groups, and local storytellers across Scotland, representing a total of 130 requested sessions. The festival funded 125 sessions, ensuring that every applicant received at least one session, with most receiving exactly what they had requested. In total, over 6,768 people came together to listen to and share more than 750 stories, brought to life by 43 storytellers.

Areas where sessions took place: North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, Aberdeen City, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh City, Glasgow, Perth and Kinross, Clackmannanshire, West Lothian, East Dunbartonshire, South Lanarkshire, Moray, Stirling, North Lanarkshire, Midlothian, Highland, Scottish Borders.

Browse the Directory of Storytellers

Storytelling is an important part of Deaf culture – a way of sharing experiences, humour, history, and identity through visual language and performance.

Created by the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, the BSL Storytelling Workshops at the Blackwood Bar offer a welcoming and creative space where the Deaf community can come together to share stories, memories, laughter, and original performances in BSL.

Much like live music or poetry nights, these sessions celebrate the art of visual storytelling, creating opportunities for connection, creativity, and self-expression. The workshops are relaxed, inclusive, and community-led, encouraging participants to build confidence, develop storytelling and performance skills, and celebrate Deaf culture in a supportive environment. Whether you want to perform, learn, connect with others, or simply enjoy the stories, everyone is welcome.

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Sensing Stories is a creative development project delivered through the Scottish International Storytelling Festival and the Scottish Storytelling Forum. In 2024, a group of Deaf students took part in a series of workshops led by Deaf Creative, Tania Allan.

Sensing Stories was open to any person aged eighteen or over, who uses BSL (British Sign Language) and who is based in Scotland who could benefit from at least one of the following:

• Developing an interest in live performance
• Developing an interest in a new artistic and life learning skill
• Developing new ways of expression, be it personal or artistic
• Engaging with a creative community

The participants didn’t have to have a background in the arts, but through a series of in-person workshops, they learned about how to tell a story in BSL, gained confidence, and explored the world of Visual Vernacular.

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The Stone Soup Collective was a series of events, facilitated by a storyteller in partnership with a community hub in their local area, that hosted a ceilidh of stories, songs, food, and dance, right in the heart of the community.

“Something magical was created that day. Sharing and hearing stories, igniting curiosity, and forming connections.” – Participant

Why the name Stone Soup?

The Stone Soup is a European folk story in which strangers convince the people of a town to each share a small amount of their food to make a larger meal that everyone can enjoy. At the heart of this story is a message of welcoming strangers, integration, kindness and sharing our resources to enable community strength and support.

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