A CHARLES Dickens enthusiast will return to his hometown after being given the honour of performing one of the author's most famous stories at a popular two-day festival.

Graham Tyson, who was born in Ulverston but now lives in Macclesfield, will present his take of A Christmas Carol in front of scores of people at the Dickensian Festival which is being held in the market town this weekend.

The school governor, whose father died when he was six, spent the first 10 years of his life in Ulverston before moving away to start a new life in Manchester with his mother and her boyfriend.

He said: "It broke my heart in a way. My last house in Ulverston was in Rydal Road and behind that was Dragley Beck where I spent hours of my childhood playing in the steam."

Mr Tyson has been performing as Charles Dickens for schools and charities for the last six years and has chatted to the late novelist's great-great-grandson, Gerald Dickens, who usually performs the festive story at Dickensian Festival.

However, with Mr Dickens' ancestor not performing this year, Mr Tyson was chosen as the person to tell the popular tale at this year's event.

He said: "It is massive and it's difficult to put into words how it feels because I can relate some aspects of the story to my childhood in Ulverston so it has a personal meaning as well.

"I always enjoy coming home to Ulverston anyway but personally this is just a wonderful accolade and I think it will be quite emotional on the night.

"It has always been something that I have wanted to do but they've always had Gerald do it. The whole festival is a pleasure to be involved with whether it's performing or experiencing it, but this is a big cherry on top of the cake."

You can watch Mr Tyson's performance at The Catholic Rooms in Victoria Road, Ulverston, from 7.30pm tonight.

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