On Wednesday I enjoyed a rather splendid community meal at Queens Park Baptist Church. The food was provided by Locavore, and the event was organised by some fantastic community-builders.

Everyone was very friendly, and the children were absolutely in their element. There was space for them to play and no one seemed to expect or wish them to "behave"! This is the sort of event there should be more of in every community.

There was also music (some of it provided by the children), and, of course, storytelling - courtesy of yours truly.

The children really took to my African folktale, and loved joining in with animal noises and suchlike.

I've always believed in the power of storytelling as a community-building tool, and if Wednesday's event is any indication, I've always been absolutely right!