Have you ever wondered about the people who lived and worked along the canals? Have you ever caught a glimpse of something they might have seen or an echo of something they might have heard? As the Stroudwater Navigation and the Thames and Severn canal wind their way from Framilode to Inglesham, they hold the stories of all who lived and worked on them. From Jack spinning yarns as he legs barges through the Sapperton Tunnel to Elizabeth swimming for all she is worth in the Wallbridge gala, the stories in 'Tales from the Towpath' span 250 years of life on the Cotswold canals. Mixing fact and fiction, they bring the past to life and, like all the best tales, appeal to children and adults alike. These original tales by storyteller Fiona Eadie are complemented by the evocative illustrations of local artist Tracy Spiers.

When school pupils Capel Cochineal and Stanley Sheep are asked by their teachers to produce a history project about their area, they soon realise that their families played vital roles in helping the town become famous. But it came at a price: Capel's relatives, immigrants from South America, were literally destined to dye - dried and crushed to provide the rich scarlet dye - whilst Stanley's woolly family lent their fleecy coats to make the world-renown broadcloth. Through their amusing, playful account, the two characters tell the story of Stroud's String of Pearls - the collective name for the 170 woollen mills which once roared with the sound of waterwheels, fulling stocks and spinning jennies. They re-enact history from medieval times when men walked on cloth in vats of urine; to the Industrial Revolution era of steam, coal, machinery and factory life; to modern life and how the mills are used today.