A Hatherleigh folktale storytelling monthly event is going on a winter tour of West Devon pubs, beginning this November.

Hearth Tales is an opportunity for people to “feel enchanted again” by telling old myths, folktales and stories to each other, while gaining “wisdom and medicine” from the tales.

Paul Davey is a storyteller, mentor and facilitator, also known as ‘Borage’ in the Hatherleigh area. Paul runs Hearth Tales, and says “stories love to travel” – and he encourages others to tell myths and tales, which have “stuck around for such a long time for a reason”.

Many of the well-known fairy tales that people share at Hearth Tales date back centuries. In Victorian times, these tales were labelled as children’s stories, but Paul says they are “maps of the psyche” with deeper meanings for adults too.

People attending the free monthly event in Hatherleigh (donations are welcomed) will each share a folktale with the group that they “inhabit and carry”.

In Hatherleigh, the Hearth Tales group meets on the second Sunday of each month, from 7pm – 9pm at the Old Schools venue.

Soon, Hatherleigh's Hearth Tales is going on a West Devon winter touring event, starting at The Black River Inn, Black Torrington, on November 11, with more pub settings to be confirmed.

Pubs in West Devon wishing to host a Hearth Tales evening are encouraged to get in touch with Paul, the touring event is also free to attend, but donations are welcomed.

Paul said: “Local pubs are encouraged to call us in for an evening – and people are welcome to join us and be moved by some storytelling. What I’m offering has got to be better than Netflix, it’s not just about you, but also the group, the story in the room and a crackling fire in the hearth .”