YoungABCtales.com was launched at Lewes Castle in southern England on Wednesday with a massive storytelling event.

The site is the brainchild of Bird and follows hot on the heels of the parent site ABCtales.com.

He launched the site with partners Gordon Roddick, co-founder of the Body Shop, and Tony Cook, who is a former broadcaster and entrepreneur.

Children are given the opportunity to read and tell stories and poems on the site, and the chance to have their work edited.

Communications Director Lisa Mangan said Bird came up with the idea for the original site when he was writing his autobiography.

Story tower

"John thinks everyone has a story to tell, which they tell in the street or on the bus and he felt there should be a supportive and anonymous place for people to tell their stories," she said.

At YoungABCtales.com, children can submit stories, both real and fictional, to the story tower.

The tower was the idea of the site's host author Terry Deary. It also includes a "dungeon" for creepy tales and a poetry hall for aspiring poets.