Sheffield volunteers will gather to celebrate five years of volunteer-run Stannington Library

The festival, which will take place over several days for the first time in its five year history, will mark the anniversary of volunteers assuming responsibility for managing Stannington Library. The festival is one of the city’s Off the Shelf Festival fringe events, and is part of the national Fun Palaces celebration taking part on the first weekend in October.

Organiser Bob Mynors said: “We staged the first Stannington Story Festival in 2015 – 12 months after undertaking the task of keeping our local library open, with little thought that the event would be more than a one-off. Yet here we are staging our fifth. And this year’s will be bigger and better than ever before.”

Musicians and storytellers will be at the library itself this Saturday afternoon, as well as in a marquee in Stannington Park, from 1.30pm. Rotherham favourite Ray Hearne will perform at the event, alongside local favourite Carmel Page, and Stannington-born Eden Ballantyne – who is just back from the Edinburgh Festival - as well as other performers. Events in the library will appeal to younger children, whilst marquee performances will suit all ages.

On Saturday evening, from 7pm, in an event called In the Park in the Dark, theatre group Frog and Bone will present a light projection experience, followed by Langsett’s famed fire-dance troupe Mister Fox with their dramatic celebration of the changing of the season.

Sunday in the library will see Hallam89 Theatre Club present a rehearsal-style reading of their recent University Drama Studio production of Voyage of the Dawn Treader at 2pm. The festival closes on Monday evening, with members of the group WiSE – Writers in Stannington and Ecclesfield – reading from SPLASH!, their new anthology of short stories and poems in the library.

Organisers of the festival feel they really have created an event with something for everyone. Importantly, they also keen to stress that all the festival’s events are free of charge, though the library will be grateful for any donations festival-goers are able to make.

Bob added: “A lot of people have worked very hard with us to make this event possible. Our volunteer team too deserve special thanks.”