A WEST Dorset storyteller has added his expertise to The Australian Season at The British Museum in London.

Adrian Beckingham, of Thorncombe, ran free workshops during half term but is to take part in further events as part of the showcase until October.

He said: “I am delighted to be invited as one of the practitioners to add my professional input into the series of workshops being offered by The British Museum over the course of the next few months.”

Mr Beckingham, who has been working as a professional storyteller for 17 years as The Man From Story Mountain, was asked to run workshops teaching people to make traditional baskets along Aboriginal Australian lines.

But he instead suggested creating Aboriginal Friendship Stones as the weaving would take too long and fail to represent the true nature of the weaving culture.

He said: “I suggested I teach how symbols in Aboriginal art are now recognised as a form of literature, with each symbol having an inherent meaning.

“These symbols can be used to paint a story or landscape in written form.

“A quick take on this I often use in schools is to give children a small stone to paint a symbol onto, as a Friendship Stone to give to someone, which is a common practice in some Aboriginal communities.

“The symbol represents a ‘wish’ for the person it is given to.” He added: “The custom of painting symbols onto stones and passing them on to friends or relatives as a Friendship Stone is still practised in many Aboriginal Australians communities.

“The symbols in Aboriginal art represent the oldest form of written communication, or literature, in the world.”

Mr Beckingham has taught in more than 400 schools nationwide as a travelling storyteller focusing on ancient cultures.

Laura Service, who is schools and young audiences education manager at the British Museum, said before the launch of the workshops: “Adrian’s ideas sound wonderful and fills me with excitement. I really like the pebble idea.”

Mr Beckingham added: “I have contacted local schools telling them that I am willing to bring children the benefit of my stories and workshops, which help people improve in confidence and social understanding, at cost price until the cuts in education are reversed.

“The cultures I work with are very diverse, including Aboriginal Australian, Native American, Native Canadian, Yanomami Indian of the Amazon, Tibetan, Ancient Egyptian and many more.

“Each has valuable lessons to teach us.”