Talk of the Town: Supporting place based storytelling

The Carnegie UK Trust’s international research on case studies of towns that had transformed their fortunes found that a clear narrative was an important part of their success. In order to explore how the concept of storytelling can be used to develop flourishing towns in the UK, the Trust’s Talk of the Town project offered professional support to citizens across England and Wales to plan, articulate and present the story of their town. This report outlines the Trust’s reflections from supporting the two towns of Scarborough and Treorchy with storytelling expertise. The report aims to provide learning for policymakers, practitioners and funders who wish to explore the concept of storytelling as a tool to improve community wellbeing through improved community engagement, cohesion and agency. A blog on the development of the story of Treorchy can be found here, and a video of highlights from the Talk of the Town Treorchy event can be accessed here.