The Causeway Yarnspinners

Public benefits

The main, and direct, benefit of The Causeway Yarnspinners is that its members are retired people (aged 60 to 90) who wish to meet with others, to share stories, to reminisce and to enjoy the company. Some live alone, some lead restricted lives due to their own state of health or having to care for a family member, or have a disability. Coming

together they are stimulated into thinking, imagining, remembering and sharing – which means they go home with a sense of well-being, energised and stimulated. A further benefit, which may be considered indirect, is that members grow in confidence, due to the activities designed to encourage and support, and then act as leaders for storytelling/reminiscing for groups in, for example, sheltered accommodation. Thus, those participants benefit from our members’ acquired skills and confidence. There is also a benefit to our heritage and future generations. The long tradition of storytelling/yarnspinning is dying out in the Province. There are some storytelling groups working to encourage people to share traditional stories, memories of childhood from the thirties to the sixties, to pass on to future generations. As our Causeway area did not have such a group, we have been encouraged and supported by a leading Northern Irish storyteller, Liz Weir, to work hard at establishing The Causeway Yarnspinners. She sees us as being vital for the furtherance of stories/memories in our geographical area, thereby a benefit for our heritage, and in turn for future generations. This can be seen as a wider benefit for the area, and we believe that storytelling and reminiscing are not harmful in any manner, as our organisation is inclusive and open to everyone.

What your organisation does

We facilitate all of the above by providing once a month, an appropriate environment for our members from across the wider community, to practise storytelling skills within the Causeway area, for the benefit of the public.