ARE you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin... On Saturday, the first of a series of literacy events landed in Greater Manchester, organised by the BBC RaW Cities scheme, aiming to build awareness, offer support and help adults - particularly parents - with intermediate reading skills.

Launched in October 2005, the three-year initiative will run until 2008, and the tour hits Manchester and Salford this month, with events across the cities exploring the benefits of storytelling in its many forms.

In true Jackanory-style, the focus is on education through family fun or, as learning executive Jane Quinn puts it, helping with reading and writing "in a way that's entertaining and relevant, offering lots of fun activities to get involved with in an informal and friendly atmosphere".

With relevance in mind, unusual - and highly-effective - venues are set to come in the form of supermarkets, shopping centres, museums, galleries, football clubs, workplaces and children's centres, as well as libraries. Saturday saw the Trafford Centre taken over with workshops and activities, including the legendary Magical Story Maker Theatre, a 12ft, hexagonal mini-theatre designed to look like a four-poster bed with closing curtains.

Mimi Faulks is one half of the team behind the mini-theatre, which went down a treat with family members of all ages.

"The kids were enchanted," says Mimi. "It's a giant bed, meant to evoke storytelling at bedtime. The curtains close to create an intimate space in which lights, sound effects and puppets create interactive storytelling.

"We want to get the message across that storytelling is exciting. The theatre had to be a hexagon so it was 'in the round' - a better theatrical shape. Everyone wants to peek in as they pass. It's basically the coolest den ever."

Creative

Mimi works as a freelance creative producer and lives in Levenshulme with her husband and partner-in-educational-art Ben, who won the M.E.N.'s Theatre Award for Best Fringe Performer in 2004.

She graduated in arts and education and has worked at Urbis, the Lowry and Manchester Museum with skills in music, performance and face-painting, as well as running the regular Funday Sunday events at Green Room. She is keen to get parents and kids working together for a number of reasons.

"Sometimes parents don't have the skills to communicate with their own kids," she says. "So let's get them exploring and having an experience together.

"It's more useful for parents to be involved because the relationship between the parents and the kids is the most important thing.

"If adults aren't confident with their literacy skills, and if their kids are inspired by reading, or vice-versa, it's a two-way process and each can help the other build up their own confidence."

RaW

The theatre is on tour with RaW round various centres over the next few weeks.

Another local face who's similarly enthusiastic about RaW is sports reporter and author Ian Cheeseman.

A City fan all his life, he has achieved his lifetime ambition of being paid to watch football and commentate for BBC Radio Manchester and write a book (he published Colin Bell's biography, Reluctant Hero, last year).

He'll be running a workshop at the City of Manchester Stadium 6pm-9pm next Wednesday, covering skills involved in football reporting and writing. All attending will receive free tickets to the Premiership match against Blackburn Rovers at on Saturday week.

For details and a free storytelling pack, call 0800 0150 950 or visit bbc.co.uk/raw. For more information about the RaW Passions Football Events, call 0161 244 4321 Tweet