A Birch Tree performance always has a strong start to get people interested - often a dramatic entry with music or song and it can last for anything between 20 minutes to over an hour, although the latter is unusual. I am not the kind of storyteller reciting something by rote (although that is a worthy tradition) and always seek to engage with and involve my audience as much as possible.

There may be a very clear set of educational objectives or the theme may be more celebratory - in either case you can be sure that I won't be sitting still for very long! Experienced in extemporising (well what teacher isn't?) feedback from the audience is often a spring board into new dimensions of the subject.

Whether the tale is set in Dark Age Scotland or just down your street, whether I am explaining how to identify trees in Winter or why there are no such things as giant insects, you can be sure that there will be a lively mix of facts, humour and folklore.