TICKETS will be available this week for a major York festival that features more than 200 events when it takes place in June.
Leading a line-up of top speakers at this year’s York Festival of Ideas is Olympic gold medallist, Dame Kelly Holmes.
Speaking as part of a Festival Focus event, presented in partnership with the French Embassy, UK, Dame Kelly will address whether science can contribute to making athletes faster and stronger.
Her address will also consider the key attributes of sports people, such as talent and commitment, that contribute to the success of creating elite athletes.
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More than 200 mostly free events, both in-person and online will take place during the festival from June 1 to June 14, which has the theme ‘the power of.’
The festival aims to address ‘power’ across many topics to help us improve our understanding of the world.
This will range from the ‘power’ of nature to awe and inspire, to the ‘power’ of education to open minds, and the ‘power’ of history to help inform the present and future.
Other big names joining the Festival this year include journalist and author, Frank Gardner who will discuss his life, career and latest book Invasion.
As BBC Security Correspondent, Frank was ambushed by terrorists in Saudi Arabia in 2004, shot several times and left for dead. He returned to active news reporting within a year, however, and still travels extensively, earning an OBE for services to journalism in 2005.
Award-winning actor, Sir Simon Russell Beale, will join international renowned pianist, Lucy Parham, to tell the story of the Rêverie which chronicles the life of one of the most prolific and innovative composers of the early 20th century, Claude Debussy.
BBC journalist and presenter Ashley John-Baptiste, will tell the story of the UK's care provision from the inside, revealing his personal journey from early experiences in care to success. Ashley will share his memories and speak about the adults and social workers who impacted his early life and encouraged his aspirations.
Art historian and broadcaster, Janina Ramirez, will reveal the countless influential women whose names were struck out of historical records, manipulating our view of history, and in particular how the Middle Ages are represented - a bloodthirsty time of Vikings, saints and kings that oppressed women.
York Festival of Ideas, organised by the University of York, is one of the largest free festivals of its kind in the UK. It is made possible by the generous support of organisations including the Holbeck Charitable Trust, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York Civic Trust, the Morrell Centre for Legal and Political Philosophy, Aviva and the French Embassy in the UK.
More events are due to be announced over the coming weeks, with tickets being available to book from Friday May 3. For more information visit the Festival website: https://yorkfestivalofideas.com/.
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