LEGENDS, tall tales and many a yarn will be in evidence when the third Lakeland Storytelling Festival opens today (Friday) staged by Taffy and Chrissy Thomas's Northern Centre for Storytelling.

Prominent Irish, Scottish, Welsh and English performers from the wonderful world of storytelling including the Sileas harp and ballads duo of Patsy Seddon and Mary Macmaster will join the storytelling throng across Staveley and Ings.

Taletellers and musicians come together for a merry old weekend of 24 events with the grand opening tonight (Friday), at 6pm, at Staveley's Wilf's Caf, in Bobbin Mill Yard, featuring festival favourites the Chipolatas, Tuup and Len Graham.

Second on the bill is the welcoming concert Merrynett at 7.30pm (until 10pm) in Staveley Village Hall, when every act appearing during the festival introduces themselves and gives the audience a taster of what's to come over the weekend.

At a glance some of the other events...

Tomorrow (Saturday): 10am, Stories or Children, featuring Helen East and Rick Nelson, Keith Donnelly, Tuup and Leslie Melville; 12noon, Chips for Lunch at Wilf's including the Fostbrooks music and dance with music and mayhem courtesy of the Chipolatas; 1pm, Eagle and Child, Staveley, storytellers Duncan Williamson, John Campell and Taffy Thomas; 7.30pm Grand Ceilidh at Staveley Village Hall, with dancing to the music of the Jigbusters plus performances from the likes of Panikatak; 8pm, A Tune and A Tale at the Watermill Inn, Ings, starring among others duo Sileas; 11pm til midnight, Taffy's popular Ghost Stories by Firelight.

Sunday, September 29: Sunday morning services at St James's, Staveley (9.30am) with Sileas and Tuup, and St Anne's Ings (11am) with John Campbell, Len Graham, and the Fosbrooks; 10.30am workshop at Staveley Village Hall displaying the storytelling skills of Helen East and Rick Wilson; 12noon, Pork Pie Lunch at the Watermill with tellers and regulars from Cumbria's Biggest Liars in the World competition joining forces to stretch the truth; the Grand Finale concert at 2.30pm, Staveley Village Hall.

For full details of the three-day festival, contact the box office on 015394-35641.