A North East arts programme joined forces with a storytelling festival to celebrate how stories can help people explore identity, place, creativity and community.
Borderlands Creative People & Places is supported this year’s Middlesbrough Storytelling Festival, which ran from June 24 to July 1 and brings together writers, artists, performers and communities to share stories in many forms.
Among the highlights is Drawn to the ’Boro, hosted at Flok on Friday, June 26.
The event features artist Helen Bainbridge and community members Imran Anwar, Zainab Aboharoon and Jude Bell, who will explore migration, belonging and place through art and conversation.
Ms Bainbridge has spent the past year developing portraits that celebrate migration stories in Middlesbrough.
Helena Bowman, chair of Borderlands, said: "At Borderlands, we believe everyone has a story worth telling.
"The Middlesbrough Storytelling Festival provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the people, experiences and creativity that make our communities unique.
"Whether it's reflecting on journeys of migration and belonging through Drawn to the 'Boro, or hearing young people share their hopes for the future in The Word Factory, these projects show how storytelling can connect people, spark conversations and strengthen our sense of place.
"We're proud to be supporting work that puts local voices centre stage."
Drawn to the ’Boro uses portraiture and pattern as forms of storytelling, showing how people carry places with them across time and distance.
Audiences will hear directly from Imran, Zainab and Jude about their personal journeys and experiences, while Ms Bainbridge will discuss her artistic process in capturing their stories.
Earlier that day, a special performance will take place at Middlesbrough Central Library.
The Word Factory, created and performed by Year 5 pupils from Newport Primary School, is a story developed through Tellers on Tees, a project delivered by Borderlands and Seven Stories.
Working with young people across South Tees, the initiative supports children and young people to develop new stories that reveal the futures they want to see for their communities.
The performance explores the words, ideas and values needed to build a better future, offering a unique opportunity to hear directly from the next generation of storytellers.
Another key event takes place on Thursday, June 25 at Middlesbrough Town Hall.
Ambition in the Tees Valley brings together Jess Hunt, Programme Director of No More Nowt; writer Ishy Din; Northeast Culture Awards Artist of the Year Narbi Price; and SIRF Artistic Director Juliet Hardy.
The panel will discuss what ambition means for creatives in the North, covering setbacks, uncertainty, growth, opportunity and defining success.
In addition to these events, Borderlands is supporting several other creative projects during the festival.
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These include Street Sprouts by SAWDUST—a living public artwork created with MIMA's National Saturday Club; Taste of Africa: Our Crown, Our Story, a youth-led exhibition exploring identity and heritage through African hair culture; and the SAWDUST Mini Park(ing)Day installation in Centre Square.
The Middlesbrough Storytelling Festival is delivered by Middlesbrough Council in partnership with the National Literacy Trust and Teesside University as part of the National Year of Reading 2026.
Full programme details and booking information are available at www.middlesbroughstoryfest.com.
