Inspirational line-up for TEDxBrighton

Azeem Amir, a member of the GB and England national Paralympic football team will join Holly Budge, the first woman to sky-dive from Mount Everest, and Brighton local and trans woman Sophie Cook on the TEDxBrighton stage.

Sky News presenter Sophy Ridge, one of the leading female broadcasters in the traditionally male-dominated corridors of Westminster, will also speak, alongside Natasha Pearlman, the former editor of Grazia magazine, TV psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos and polar explorer Rod Downie, who heads up WWF UK’s polar programme.

Alex Ntung a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who witnessed genocide first-hand before making the treacherous journey to the UK to start a new life, will also share his story.

The event will follow the theme of journeys and adventures, with a wide variety of esteemed speakers sharing their unique stories.

Toby Moore, curator of TEDxBrighton, said: “These are people who embody the theme of journeys and adventures and will bring to life their accounts of pushing boundaries and challenging norms, from the front line of societal change.”

The Brighton event was launched in 2011 as a non-profit event and is now one of the largest TEDx events in the country, attracting an audience of more than 1,200 each year.

Mr Moore said: “TEDxBrighton is run entirely by local volunteers who give their time for free, driven by a passion for what the event achieves for the community and the audience.”

The event aims to bring people together with a shared experience and inspire discussion about the themes raised within its talks.

TEDx is a programme of independently organised events taking place across the UK.

Since it began in 2009, it has had almost 15,000 independent events hosted around the world and videos of its talks have been viewed over a billion times.

TEDxBrighton will take place at the Brighton Dome on October 26.

To find out more and for tickets, visit: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tedxbrighton-2018-tickets-46523528125