Fifth TEDx event to take place in Leamington next month

The event, with the theme 'Outsiders' will take place at Royal Leamington Spa College in Warwick New Road on Saturday November 9.

Tickets to be among the 250-strong audience are still available but selling fast.

The speakers are:

• Felicity Hayward is a British curve model, social media influencer and activist, who has quickly become one of the most recognised faces in the fashion industry. She is renowned for breaking barriers in the beauty and fashion industry with not only her stellar looks but her fearless personality.

• Rob Lawrie who hit global headlines in late 2015 whilst working as a lone volunteer in the Calais Jungle – when he decided to rescue a little girl from the squalid suffering. This decision cost him dear and his was arrested at the border and faced human trafficking charges.

• Foka Wolf is a subversive street artist who has been pasting their art on the streets for over a decade. Their subject matter ranges from cartoons to celebrities, gory heads to thumbs-ups, but their most recognisable works are their joke adverts. Foka’sadvertising agency has covered subjects including forehead extension and rent-a-curse, tackling both comedy and serious social and political commentary.

• Ash Palmasciano is an actor, writer and presenter, who in 2018, landed the ground-breaking role of Matty Barton, the first ever transgender character on ITV’s Emmerdale. This quickly saw him earn Inside Soap‘s 2018 ‘Best Newcomer’ award, he is now one of the Emmerdale’s established regular characters and is delighted to have become a positive role model to others.

• Nicola Enoch was recognised as the 2017 Citizen of the Year at Pride of Warwick Awards and Inspirational Person by the Coventry Telegraph, and runs the well-respected and highly successful charity, The Ups of Downs.

• Lee Towersey is a droid builder and operator who has worked across the Star Wars franchise since 2013.

• Richard Fry is an artist, writer and performer. He has just performed his 8th solo show, O Starry Night, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to much critical acclaim.

• Karl Drage has established a number of leading renewables businesses in the UK, Europe and the US at the forefront of Smart, Cleantech, Digital, Renewable Heat, with a particular focus on the “Heat as a Service” business model.

• Andrew Pain runs a support group (MenSpace) for men experiencing domestic abuse.

• Marianne Power is a writer and freelance journalist who lives in London. Her first book, Help Me!, is about her attempt to sort her life out by following the rules of a different self-help book every month for a year. The book has been translated into 25 languages and has been optioned for television.

• Emma Gunn is the author of three foraging books published under the title Never Mind the Burdocks and has also worked at the Eden Project for 21 years!

• John Proudlock is an expert in generative art, which leads to some impressive results,

Performers:

• Ellie Gowers is certainly not new to the local music scene, quietly brewing her self-penned songs in folks clubs for a while. She has been regularly performing music that embeds a fierce energy that echoes that of the 60’s folk revival scene and although she may be small, Ellie manages to hold pride of place on stage with her strong vocals.

• Levi Washington plays a large variety of styles of music and likes to incorporate flavours from all his favourite genres. He’s known in Leamington as a one-man band who incorporates two loop pedals, a drum pad, a keyboard, two guitars, harmonicas while doing his own backing vocals and more all at the same time!

• Alfie Amadeus is a percussive acoustic guitarist, currently based in Warwickshire. He experiments with percussive techniques and digital effects to create rich textures and rhythmically complex pieces.

• Bobby Friction world renowned for his specialist knowledge of British Asian Music & South Asian music from the Indian/Pakistani subcontinent. As a DJ for nearly 20 years, he’s preached the Desi Music gospel across the continents as well as written about it extensively.

Outside of the all important talks on the main stage, guests can participate in a number of activities including The Human Library where people serve as 'open books' and have conversations they would not normally have access to.

Every human book represents a group in society that is often subjected to prejudice, stigmatisation or discrimination because of their lifestyle, diagnosis, belief, disability, social status or ethnic origin.

Humans of Leamington is a series of photographic portraits of people who live and work in the town.

Art students from the Warwickshire College group will showcase their work by presenting four games designed and created exclusively for the event.

All guests will also receive a ‘swag bag’, be treated to a buffet lunch and refreshments throughout the day from businesses including Beki’s Brownies, Zero Store, A refuel chill zone, live art projects and every ticketholder is welcome to attend the after party where entertainment will continue until 11pm and enjoy refreshments from Warwickshire Gin Company, Toast Ale (made from waste bread) and Birtellis pizza.

As a not-for-profit orgabisation, TEDxLeamingtonSpa relies on support from the town's business community.

Sponsors for this year include Royal Leamington Spa College, BID Leamington, Baxi, Warwickshire County Council, Warwickshire District Council, Leamington Town Council, and Dining Out Card.

Tickets are priced at £60 plus a booking fee.

Student and group booking discounts are also available.

Visit www.tedxleamingtonspa.com