Richard O’Neill is a multi-award winning international storyteller and author of Roma heritage, who also featured at Culture Bazaar 2020.

As a professional storyteller I spend a lot of my time telling them, but at least the same time if not more listening to the stories of others, because story is the thing that connects us all, we all have one and they are always fascinating. I believe that if you want to truly understand a person or a place then all you have to do is to listen to their stories.

That’s why I have always loved visiting Cumbria, something I’ve done since being a child having family on both sides of the border. It’s always a huge pleasure to visit and tell my stories in schools, libraries and theatres and to catch up with friends and family and listen to their stories, to listen to the local dialect and the way it is used to make the tales people tell sound even more interesting.

Whenever I’m in Carlisle I always go and have a look at the statue of Jimmy Dyer the travelling bard who told his stories in song, It tells me and shows all of us just how important story and music and ordinary people’s culture is to the people of Carlisle and surrounding areas. It shows us just how accepting and inclusive they have always been. I’m not aware of another city in the UK which has a statute in honour of their local itinerant storyteller, I find that wonderfully inspiring! And it gives me a huge sense of pride that I am carrying on the tradition in some way and the people of Cumbria are just as accepting now of different people as they and other border towns and cities always have been. 

What I also find inspiring is the work done by Multicultural Cumbria’s team, not only in organising the fabulous annual Culture Bazaar but the work they do throughout the year to bring people from all communities and backgrounds together, helping us all to see and celebrate our similarities and our interconnectedness and the things we share;  to realise that we are stronger as a whole county and indeed country when we share our stories and work together. Now more than ever, this is the time to share our best stories, and use them to include each other, to  empower each other and work  together to create new stories of hope for the future.