In late June, I took part in a talk at the first Middlesbrough Storytelling Festival, which felt like just the right home for "Drawn to the Boro", a project so tied to the town and the stories that run through it.

While we were there, videographer Laura Degnan sat down with the participants, and you can click through above to watch each conversation.

My thanks to everyone who made the afternoon possible: Borderlands, Middlesbrough Council, Teesside University and the National Literacy Trust, as part of the National Year of Reading 2026. It was a genuine pleasure to talk with three of the sitters and to listen as they shared their lives.

I hope you enjoy them.