Katrice came from a family where stories were alive and breathing, not just kept within books. Her mother created stories of ‘Freddie the Hedgehog,’ her uncle Albert told stories about Middlemog the Pixie , and her Uncle Phillip, a man from Cork , created scary stories with all the sound effects! She shared the stories she loved with young people in her work as a Playworker and Youth Worker but it was not until she went to live in Ghana for six years in the 1990’s that she realized the real potential of storytelling as a tool for change as well as a form of entertainment. Whilst there she worked as a consultant for UNICEF DFID and the UNHCR as a narrative consultant, as well as developing a television show based on storytelling in education and also hosting two radio shows and working with the National Theatre in creating a major Folk Tale performance.
When she returned to the UK she started to develop storytelling as a career. This resulted in performance work as well as in development work, this resulted in her becoming the National Storytelling Laureate for the UK. This award was given in recognition of her work within the UK in developing the uses and applications of narrative into diverse areas and not just performance.
She always had a passion for words, possibly stemming from the fact that she was speech impaired as a child and struggled to talk. She knew, from this how important it was to be able to own your own story and have the skills to share it. This led to her writing an award-winning bereavement resource for children, as well as ‘The Evaluator’s Toolbox,’ (a book that shares exercises that enable all people to communicate their evaluative responses) and also articles for the Oxford University Press; to name but a few. She is currently writing a book on her work called Narrative4Change.
She has performed at International Storytelling Festivals around the world, from Ireland to Indonesia and Singapore to Shropshire. In her 30 years of experience, she has carved out a reputation as an inspiring and passionate performer and trainer who is known for her lyrical and rhythmic language style.