A weekend to remember

By Chloe Sinker, Project Coordinator, 27th October 2025

Many of you will know that BCA held its first Pre-History Weekend at Poole’s Cavern earlier this month!
As ever, we were not short of enthusiastic volunteers wanting to be part of the event and to assist with the activities across the weekend.

Of note, we were delighted by the number of volunteers who put themselves forward to be storytellers – yet more hidden talent revealed! If you were not chosen this time, we can promise that you will be included in the future – we need you!

Storytelling in the tipi

For those who were unable to attend, the storytelling activity took place in the stunning autumnal surroundings of the BCA Tree Nursery, inside a cosy tipi tent. Thank you so much to our staff team: Sarah, Sam and Harriet for putting it up, and for ignoring my feeble attempts to assist from the side-lines (spatial awareness is not my strength!).

Curiosity encouraged many families to take part, eager to experience this ancient and perhaps fading tradition of storytelling. There was a sense of anticipation as groups of excited children and parents were led through the gate into a secret garden and made their way towards the tipi.

Our visitors were met by a mystical storyteller, clad in a poncho and adorned in furs, and they quickly settled themselves, eager for the stories to begin.

Captivated audiences

The activity could not have been more of a success. It was wonderful to see parents relaxing in the realisation that somebody else would be entertaining their children. While youngsters of varying ages, initially sitting obediently cross-legged on their mats, slowly and shyly crept forwards onto their knees to get closer to the storyteller – to the precious books – they became increasingly immersed in the world of the story.

Involuntary yelps of enthusiasm, questions and confirmations punctuated the air in the tipi, and the storytellers calmly responded and engaged with the children before taking them back into the story’s world.

Once the storytelling was complete, there was a strange reluctance to leave the tipi, to re-enter the outside world, to have to re-engage with all the demands of modern life.

How wonderful it was that, for a few moments at least, our visitors could be taken away from the challenges of everyday life and caught in that magical spell of being read to.

 Voices from our volunteers

“I found the role of reading to the groups of five-, six- and seven-year-olds very rewarding, and the children’s reaction to being read to made me smile. I was delighted to receive thanks not only from the children but also their mums and dads, who had been listening attentively outside the tipi.”

“It was a great experience doing the storytelling for the Pre-History weekend. It was something outside my usual comfort zone, but I was glad I got the opportunity to do it. The children were really engaged with the stories and wanted to know more about prehistoric life, which was lovely to see.”

“When I had a chance to chat with the parents, they were very happy with the events Poole’s Cavern were doing that day, and of course I saw first-hand how much fun the kids had with building mud huts.”

Looking ahead

It would be wonderful to include this activity again in the future. In a world where so much of our life, and the lives of our children, is spent staring at screens (of varying sizes), how fantastic that BCA can offer alternative entertainment, pleasure and the timeless tradition of storytelling.

A huge thank you to our storytellers (Sam, Peter, Mike) and to our fantastic welcome team (Christine, Lorraine, Jaymie and Mike) who positioned themselves near the front of the Visitor Centre with unceasing smiles and enthusiasm, ensuring that our visitors had a wonderful experience at Poole’s Cavern. Special thanks also to those who assisted with the mini archaeological dig and mud hut building (Al and Peter) in the School Room.

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to explore some of the beautiful new stock in our shop. The books featured in the storytelling activity, Stone Age Boy, Cave Baby, The Cave Explorer, and The Fossil Hunter, are packed with stunning illustrations and make wonderful gifts for children, grandchildren, or anyone who still loves a big, beautifully illustrated book!

Thank you to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for supporting this event.