An ongoing and open monthly group in Ambleside for connecting to the seasons through story.

Next dates 2024-2025: 10 November, 8 December, 12 January, 9 February, 9 March, 13 April, 11 May, 8 June, 13 July *we will break in Aug/Sep and new dates will be announced 2025-2026 soon

Location: We meet at University of Cumbria Ambleside, Reception. From the carpark, walk up the stairs to an area of picnic tables outside The Barn (Reception). We will spend the session up on the hill.

Cost: £5 for your first session to give it a go. If you choose to return I currently ask for a donation between £5 and £20, depending on what you can make work. 

Group Description: Beginning with a story and followed by time for individual exploration of the landscape, the group will have the opportunity to relate through a shared experience of immersing in the themes of the current season.

Sessions will be held on the second Sunday of each month from 10am to 12:30pm. We will begin with a creative check-in, followed by a storytelling from Aly that incorporates the themes of the season, then time for individual exploration of the landscape. We will conclude with an opportunity for sharing our process with the group - sharing is always optional.

This group is for adults 18+ who would like to make intentional time each month to connect to the seasons of this place we live with, and how we are experiencing these seasons in our inner worlds. *Please note that though Aly is a therapist, because this is an open group it is intended for reflective practice only and if you are experiencing more acute mental health struggles please seek a therapy setting - contact Aly for more information.

Dates: 30 March, 13 April, 27 April 2025, 5-7pm UK time

Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gathering-threads-a-time-for-adventure-tickets-1279520864349?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

I am stepping back into the world of online storytelling once again!

Gathering Threads aims to build a community of curious folks who are responding to the challenges and joys of life with intention.

Our first series, a time for adventure, explores the question "should I stay, or should I go?" through Celtic myth and folktale followed by discussion. Here's more from the Eventbrite page:

Cultures are shaped by the stories we choose to share. Our values, and therefore our actions, are shaped by our cultures. By intentionally interacting with our stories, we can understand more deeply our values and our actions, and empathise with the values and actions of others.

As someone who has lived away from where I was raised for a majority of my adulthood, I have always been curious about the question of choosing to stay or to leave.

As an environmental arts therapist, I witness clients as they make choices to stay or leave relationships, jobs, and locations. As a professional storyteller, I read, listen to, and tell stories about the moment everything changes. As a person, I make the choice every day to commit, or to let go.

I acknowledge that not everyone gets the choice. Some are forced to leave or stay in places that are unsafe for them. This series acknowledges the privilege it assumes in its questioning.

If you choose to attend this Zoom call, I’ll open with a bit of chat and a story or two from the British Isles (which is where I live and learn stories). Then, if you’re willing, we’ll dive into our questions, trains of thought, and what the story made us feel. I’d love to hear what’s present for you, but I will not make you talk. Listening is also engaging.

ALL, whatever cultures you identify with and wherever you call home, are welcome. This series is aimed at adults, but if you have a young person at home who would like to listen in, please bring them - they often say the wisest things!

5 November 2024, 18:30-20:30 GMT, University of Cumbria, Ambleside, UK

Event Description: Gather 'round the crackling flames, sip on warm drinks, eat hot dogs and revel in the enchanting atmosphere. It's a night to remember, with Celtic Storytelling and the cozy glow of a roaring bonfire.

21 August 2024, 19:00-20:30 EST, The Word Barn, Exeter, NH, USA

Link: https://www.thewordbarn.com/events/8/21/2024/call-to-adventure-an-evening-of-storytelling

Event Description: Come relax around the Word Barn's fire pit and enjoy an evening of stories with professional storyteller Aly Foy.

Aly is an Environmental Arts Therapist who has spent the last five years living in the UK and studying the myths, legends, and folktales of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland and is excited to bring them back to her native Exeter, NH.

Journey with her to the otherworld full of faerie queens, men who turn into crows, and horses who can ride on water, and you'll meet humans and magic folk alike who are striving for adventure and love, and willing to make the leap whether they will return home or not....

Two shorter stories will be followed by a break and then a longer story as the night draws in. Bring a chair or blanket, and your imagination.

20 February 2024, 19:00-21:00, Seeds of Dreams, Koh Phangan, Thailand

Event description: An evening of storytelling with storyteller & bestselling author Daniel Allison, guest teller Aly Foy and accompanying musician Mannu Espinosa.

22 June 2023, 19:00-20:30 UK time, Zoom

Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/women-weaving-words-online-storytelling-exploring-the-mythic-feminine-tickets-639285880277?aff=erelexpmlt

Event description:

Three women storytellers from Scotland, England, and the United States come together to offer tales of adventure, tragedy, humour, and hope, anchored in the lives and breaths of women in our ancestral memory.

It is only in recent time that fairy tales and folkloric stories became "just for kids" -- storytelling is one of the oldest forms of healing in the world, and have something to offer to you, right now, in whatever phase of life you find yourself in.

Join Audrey di Mola, Aly Foy, and Kirsten Milliken for a three-part offering of stories with space for listening and reflection.