Cumnor House Nursery
“The children absolutely loved Wendy and her storytelling, from the Kindergarten to the Preschool the children were mesmerised and enthralled by the wonderful stories she told. It was so much fun. The children especially enjoyed becoming part of the story.” – Nursery Teacher, Cumnor House Nursery
National Army Museum
“Wendy’s sessions delighted and enthralled both children and adults in the audience alike, would not hesitate to recommend her for anyone looking to add some exciting and engaging storytelling into their programme!” – Family Learning Producer, National Army Museum.
Shakespeare’s Globe
“Wendy led two lovely storytelling sessions to families for our half-term event ‘Autumn Tales’. Both were wonderfully engaging, the stories were so much fun and it was an absolute pleasure to work with her” – Shakespeare’s Globe, Senior Events Coordinator
Eden Project
“Wendy spent three days storytelling in our Mediterranean biome this Summer and it was a delight to have her here. Her stories are wonderful and our visitors were fascinated from start to finish. Wendy is a true professional and so engaging with her storytelling. It was great to work with her and I hope she will be back again soon. Tamsyn Lewis – Live Production Manager, Eden
Barbican
“Wendy had the families hooked from the get-go! She got the audience responding and involved with her tale and drew us into her story right away. It was a pleasure to see how happy it made everyone in the room. Thanks so much, Wendy – I hope to work with you again soon!” – Susie Evans, Cinema Curator, Barbican
The British Museum
“Your performance was captivating and dynamic. It was a pleasure to see you breathing life into the legends of Osiris and Odysseus, which fitted so well with our theme for the evening.” – The British Museum
Southbank Centre
“Wendy Shearer is a masterful storyteller, bringing everyone with her imaginatively and playfully.” – Literature & Spoken Word Programmer, Southbank Centre, Imagine Festival
Royal Academy of Arts
“Wendy led a series of storytelling sessions for us during the Royal Academy of Arts’ Festival of Ideas. Her delivery of tales about Anansi the spider was fantastically engaging for families. The children were able to act out the parts using props and actions, and she expertly shaped the story to fit with their suggestions. Her timing and energy were brilliant and the room was filled with many gasps of excitement and laughter throughout. We have asked Wendy back for more storytelling as we were so pleased.“ – Royal Academy of Arts, Family Programmer
South London Film School
“We asked Wendy to perform ‘The Orphan Girl’ at our film screening – which was a modern adaptation of the West African folktale – to give a sense of the original story, and provide the atmosphere to set up the film itself. She absolutely made the night! Not only did the retelling capture the whole audience in the world Wendy created, but it was also an engaging, creative, and unexpected way to start off the night. We cannot thank her enough and look forward to hopefully working with her again on our next project.”
Southbank Centre
“Wendy was brilliant at the NatWest Family Fun Zone over the Christmas period. She was flexible, reliable, professional and ensured her stories fit perfectly with our client’s brief and the wider themes at Southbank Centre’s ‘Winter Festival’. The children were always engaged and thoroughly enjoyed the stories – Wendy got them giggling, shouting and encouraged lots of participation. It was a pleasure to have her on-site throughout the week.” – Ella Wales Bonner, M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment
The British Academy
“I had the pleasure of working with Wendy on an online event for our public festival, the Summer Showcase. She is a superb storyteller and has a marvelous ability to convey drama and joy throughout. Wendy’s performance was a masterclass in online storytelling – I really believed she could hear our audience roaring like lions as if they were in the room with her! I would highly recommend Wendy, and very much hope we can work with her again in the future.” – Events Producer, The British Academy
National Literacy Trust
“I had the pleasure of working with Wendy this summer on a number of storyteller sessions. The National Literacy Trust runs literacy events at venues across the UK for a range of different aged children and schools. Wendy adapted to every session we threw at her so professionally and with such ease, even when venues and timings had to change last minute.
The stories she told were full of colour, beautiful props, music and plenty of pupil participation which was very well received not only by the children but by the teachers as well. Teachers commented on how much they enjoyed listening to her stories.
I would highly recommend Wendy for any storyteller sessions or workshops you have planned, whether or not they are 15 minutes or an hour long! I very much look forward to working with her again in the near future.” Lizzie Jones, Young Readers Programme, National Literacy Trust
Primary / Lower Schools
“Thank you so much for your wonderful storytelling session with our Reception pupils today. The children were absolutely mesmerised by your story and remained fully engaged throughout. This was a real treat for the children (and teachers!) during a challenging time and your amazing energy has provided everyone with a huge, positive lift today!” – Colfe Primary School, Reception Class teachers
“We had a wonderful day with Wendy, during which she told stories to all our children – from Year 3 to Year 6. The children were totally transfixed during her sessions and loved the opportunity to get involved, something Wendy wove naturally into the texture of each story. I was really impressed by the choice of stories – matched perfectly to the age of the children – the verve with which she performed, and the magic of a shared story”. – Richard Smith, Trafalgar Junior School
“The children really enjoyed the session and were fully engaged throughout. It was pitched perfectly at the right level for young children and they were able to follow the plot. The props were wonderful and helped the children understand the story. It was lovely when children were called up to the front to take part – great idea to choose them to play Anansi in his costume! Chesterton Primary School, Wandsworth
“Perfect end to our Black History Month celebrations. The whole school got involved and loved it”. St Francis de Sales, Tottenham
“Brilliant – all of the children were gripped from start to finish. Their follow-up questions showed how much they absorbed.” Millennium Primary School, Greenwich
“We thoroughly enjoyed Wendy’s enthusiasm and ability to engage the children” – Locks Heath Infant School, Southampton
Our children enjoyed the beautiful, engaging props. You ensured that all the children were involved enthusiastically with the storytelling. – Saint Augustine’s Priory, Ealing
“You’ve really inspired me with your ideas and energy. We plan to take the storytelling further and develop more ideas in the classroom” – Yr 5 teacher, Long Lane Primary, Reading
SEN
“Wendy was fantastic! Such a beautiful repertoire of stunning stories, all enhanced with sound, music, props and costumes. Wendy was so calm and versatile, adapting her pitch, tone, language and even the stories themselves to meet the needs of our pupils. It was all so organised and the pupils found the storytelling event exciting, stimulating and thought-provoking. I heartily recommend Wendy to other Schools and organisations. She contributed beautifully to our multicultural event by telling her wonderful stories to our pupils aged 3 – 17 years, with skill, charisma and style” – Aidan Meech, Asst Head Teacher, John Chilton School
“Assembly was particularly good, Wendy engaged the whole school, the majority of them usually have attention difficulties for more than 25 minutes! (SEN) – The Cedars Primary, Hounslow
“The children thoroughly enjoyed the stories and were very engaged throughout. It was an excellent link to our Black History Week celebrations. The multi-sensory approach appealed to the variety of learners in the class including those with SEN and EAL. I would love to invite you back again.” Michelle at Morningside Primary, Hackney
Nursery
“We really enjoyed the use of props, songs and leading the children through role play.” Nursery Teacher, Hally Primary School
“The children warmed to Wendy immediately, and she had them spellbound with her stories from South Africa. I would highly recommend her!” Coconut Nursery N16
Secondary
“Wendy came to our school to do an assembly to years 3-8 and then run a storytelling workshop with year 7. Wendy told the story of Theseus and the Minotaur in the assembly and had all the pupils enthralled with her captivating storytelling. Even the adults just wanted to sit and listen to Wendy all day! The storytelling with year 7 was on The Odyssey. She told excerpts from Odysseus’ adventures and also included the opportunity for the pupils to imagine their own magical kingdoms by drawing and describing their creations. All the pupils loved Wendy and her ability to bring the stories to life. One older pupil said, ‘can Wendy come every month and tell us stories?’ – Rachael Parish, Head of Classics, Rokeby School
Wendy visited as part of our yearly Book Week. She weaved her magic with the students – it was an interactive tale, getting students’ opinions and particpating in using props she had brought along. The music she used, added to the atmosphere of the tale. A great day was had by all. – Sheila Pickering, The Sacred Heart Language College
“Everyone had a lot of fun being creative and letting their imagination run riot.”- Collège Français Bilingue de Londres, Camden
