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Fall hook, line and sinker for Harrogate Library children's show

Monday, 2 September 2024 08:23

By Esmee Howie

Oliver and his children's book, 'Fishing for Rainbows.'

An award-winning children's writer is bringing a show inspired by his own family's fishing escapades to Harrogate Library.

Author and performer Oliver Sykes, 34, was one of six kids brought up on the breadline by his single-parent dad on a council estate in Derbyshire's Peak District.

When the children's mum suddenly walked out on the family, dad Chris quit his factory job to look after his children.

They survived on cut-price items from the supermarket, supplementing their diet by hunting and fishing, as was common in his dad's Romany culture.

Fishing became an important part of Oliver's childhood, as both an adventure-filled family day out and a way to put a cheap and nutritious meal on the table.

Now Oliver is touring a show based on his children's book, Fishing for Rainbows, which has just been longlisted for the 2024 Children’s Literature Festivals Book Awards.

He will be performing at Harrogate Library on Saturday 28 September 2024.

Suitable for audiences aged 5+, the stage adaptation of Fishing For Rainbows tells the story of siblings Kezia, Duke, and Danior Boswell.

Since their mum passed away, the family has fallen into a strict routine.

The boys and Dad go out fishing whilst 12-year old Kezia stays at home to tidy and cook.

But Kezia has a plan, one that could transform her from a modern-day Cinderella into a super cool fisher girl.

Fishing For Rainbows follows Oliver's successful stage version of his first book, Alfie's First Fight.

Oliver said:

"Fishing for Rainbows is inspired by my childhood, when I would often go out fishing with my dad and brothers.

"The character of Kezia was created for my little sister Amber, who says she always felt sad not to be invited on the fishing trips.

"It is a story about families, loss and reaching for the stars."

The Fishing for Rainbows stage show is supported by Big Imaginations, Z-Arts, and Touchstones, and was created using public funding from Arts Council England.

It is written and performed by Oliver Sykes and directed by Dominic Berry.

Fishing For Rainbows is at Harrogate Library on Saturday 28 September at 11am and 1pm. Tickets are £9.

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