Young Volunteers at StoryFest 2026: Bringing Wonder to St Helens Libraries
Across six days, five young volunteers helped turn St Helens StoryFest 2026 into a week of magic with smooth running shows in libraries across the st helens borough. From front-of-house welcomes to backstage problem-solving, our team of Young Volunteers were at the heart of StoryFest 2026.
Stepping into a week of stories
StoryFest 2026 brought a packed programme of family shows and activities into local libraries, from cosmic adventures in The Quest for Planet P to the joyful noise of Make Some Noise, the forest bravery of Brave Bettie, and the magical mayhem of The Wizard and the Mechanic. Each day meant a new library, a new audience and a new set of challenges, and our young volunteers were there every step of the way to keep things running smoothly.
Over the week, the young volunteers took on a mix of roles that would be standard in any professional festival team:
Welcoming families into the library, helping them find tickets, seats and facilities, and setting a friendly tone from the moment they arrived.
Supporting artists and library staff by helping with get-ins & get-outs, basic set dressing and turnarounds between shows..
Pitching in wherever needed when things changed at the last minute, from managing queues to moving chairs.
By the end of the week, they had experienced the full rhythm of a touring festival across multiple libraries, from Monday’s first audience to Saturday’s final one.
Building skills, confidence and connections
Across the week, each volunteer developed their own strengths:
Communication and confidence: Talking to families, performers and staff every day made introductions and announcements feel more natural by the end of the week.
Teamwork: Moving between different libraries meant understanding and getting to grips with new spaces quickly.
Professional experience: They got a genuine taste of arts and events work! Touring, front-of-house, audience care and access, that will be useful on CVs, in college or job applications, and in future creative opportunities.
A huge thanks to Seth, Rhys, Felicity, Niamh and Jim for stepping up and making it all happen. See you at Wonder in the Street!