Imagine growing up in a world without stories? Imagine trying archery on your break and not humming the Robin Hood music in your head (is that just me?) or visiting Scotland without immediately thinking of Nessie.
According to new Center Parcs research, we can reveal up to 60% of us haven’t heard a traditional folklore story in over two years. So, why have we decided to stop telling stories? Simply put, we just don’t know them – one in five of us (20%) can’t remember any tales to retell them.
But besides fun theme tunes to hum while trying archery during your summer break, traditional stories do help develop children’s imagination, while almost half of those surveyed (45%) think they play a part in teaching our little ones valuable lessons.
So, in the year Sherwood Forest – home to Robin Hood – turns 30, we want to encourage families to rediscover these stories of old, and reignite our passion for sharing them. We worked with The Folklore Society to create a Folklore Map of Britain to showcase just some of the fantastic mythical tales our regions have to offer.
Jeremy Harte, a British folklore expert and committee member of The Folklore Society, says: “Countries aren’t just made up of rocks and rivers; they’re also made up of the stories we tell each other, about the places we know. These tales give a special character to our homes, and poetry to our landscape.
“However, we’ve seen from this research that our rich folkloric tradition may be slipping through our fingers, which is deeply saddening and an issue we are passionate about tackling alongside Center Parcs. By curating this map, we hope to remind people of the fabled history in their local areas, and hope to see these stories re-told for generations to come.”
So, next time you’re about to read a bedtime story to your little ones, why not share the tale of Dick Wittington or the giants who lived at St Michael’s Mount, instead?
