The Ropetackle runs a regular monthly storytelling group (for adults), and this month's has a strong local theme as it's all about the South Coast's local smuggling traditions - with accompanying songs!! Quite a few of us have been to their various events over the past year or so, usually on the 2nd (or 3rd) Monday of the month. They have a terrific variety of guest storytellers, and it's always great fun. It's usually held in the intimate mezzanine space, but occasionally moves to the main space downstairs if it sells out particularly fast. Tickets are just £10 +bf - a great (and very reasonably priced!) way to spend a Monday night! If you've never seen a professional storyteller weaving their magic, give it a try - you might get hooked, like me - it really is a unique experience! Get your ticket at:- https://ropetacklecentre.co.uk/events/ropetackle-storytellers-when-the-gentlemen-go-by-stories-songs-of-south-coast-smuggling/ *and NB I'll be collecting £2 Meetup fee (contactless) from all attendees, unless you want to pay an annual sub of £10.* "*Five and twenty ponies trotting through the dark.* *Brandy for the Parson, and 'baccy for the Clerk.* *Laces for a lady, letters for a spy –* *So watch the wall, my darling, while the Gentlemen go by!* For periods of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, parts of the south east of England were almost lawless, with contraband travelling unchecked in long trains of horses and armed men from the coast towards London. In this set of smuggling tales and ballads, storyteller **Alastair K Daniel** contrasts the romantic mythology of smuggling with the brutal reality of a violent trade – there are gun battles, street fights, deception, betrayal, and a spectral encounter with a ghostly revenue officer along the way. Audience Feedback: "Absolutely excellent" "Music and audience participation were perfectly judged" “The best evening – smuggling tales galore” *Alastair K. Daniel is a performance storyteller, researcher, writer and

Description supplied by the event organiser.