Storytelling since 1992, and with a professional background in theatre, dance and education, Allison knows how to craft a good story for every occasion. Allison entertains and educates in equal measure from classroom and conference settings to festival, heritage and outdoor events. Highly experienced at working sensitively with marginalised groups and people with different abilities, including additional support needs, asylum-seekers, dementia/mental health, prisons and recovery initiatives.

Allison has a degree in Drama and English and a Master’s degree in Scottish Folklore. She specialises in Scottish folktales, environmental stories/outdoor learning, and world wisdom tales. Allison collects and tells traditional folktales and has several collections published with the History Press, including Funny Folk Tales for Children (2023), Lanarkshire Folk Tales (2021) and Dancing With Trees, Eco-Tales from the British Isles (Co-author, 2017).

Registered on the Scottish Storytelling Directory since 2007 and the Scottish Storytelling Forum Representative for Lanarkshire, Allison has performed at every major festival, including Celtic Connections, The Scottish International Storytelling Festival, Edinburgh Book Festival, Edinburgh & Glasgow Science Festivals, Kirkintilloch Canal Festival, and hundreds of different schools, libraries, arts, heritage, health and community celebrations throughout the UK.

Allison makes audience participation a regular feature of her storytelling. Her friendly and engaging style has made her popular at family and public events.

Allison is a fully qualified ASN and Tertiary teacher and respected workshop facilitator in storytelling, writing and Scottish Folklore.

Scottish Parliament commended her reminiscence and story-sharing work in care homes as exemplary practice in 2014. Allison is also very experienced in intergenerational group work.
Collecting oral history and stories from people and projects is the golden thread throughout her vibrant career in the Scottish Arts. Allison regularly collaborates with both Strathclyde University’s Oral History and Education departments.

‘Allison’s storytelling added a new and hugely successful dimension to two inclusive and accessible STEM summer projects that staff from the University of Strathclyde ran. The stories commissioned to fit with the STEM work had a huge impact on participants, who found them a really understandable introduction to some challenging ideas in STEM.’
Dr Jane Essex – Senior Lecturer in Chemistry Education, Strathclyde University. (2023)

Email Storyteller