Macclesfield people voice ideas at TEDx

The inaugural TEDxMacclesfield will showcase speakers tackling some of humanity’s biggest questions with humour, optimism and insight. The event takes place on Saturday 28th April at Townley Street Chapel, Macclesfield and will include up to eight short talks in the spirit of TED, the international non-profit organisation devoted to ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’. Speakers will be filmed and the talks are then made available to a global online audience of 10 million subscribers through the TEDx YouTube channel.

The speakers, who all have a connection with Macclesfield, will talk for 10-12 minutes each and champion an innovative idea they are passionate about. The intention is to showcase the talent and expertise in the town and give a platform to some unheard voices. Talks will be solution focused, non-political non-religious and will cover a diverse range of topics. Ideas include the challenges facing the Square Kilometer Array radio telescope project being managed from Jodrell Bank, lessons for living with mental illness, why the outdoors helps us think creatively and how we can help make the fashion industry more sustainable.

Organisers Lynne Jones and Jude D’Souza hope the talks will spark discussion, make new connections and start conversations across the community.

Jude D’Souza is a writer who organises cinema and spoken word events in the town through Entropy Events: “There’s been a growth in arts, culture and entertainment in the town over the last 7 or 8 years which has invigorated Macclesfield and raised its profile as a destination. We want to build on that renaissance and and tap into the many amazing ideas bubbling under the surface here to show how they can change lives”.

Lynne Jones is a journalist and producer and was one of the founders of Barnaby Festival. “It’s been really exciting meeting some of the interesting folk living or working in Macclesfield who care passionately about what they do and have ideas they want to shout about. We’ve pulled together a great team of volunteers to organise and steward the event and we’re really grateful to the businesses who are supporting us financially or with in-kind support.”

The conference will be hosted by Geoff Bird, a producer and reporter with BBC Radio who lives in Macclesfield. Alongside the talks will be live performances and videos of TED talks.

TEDx is an independently organised event under licence from TED. Tickets for this first event are limited by the licence to 100 and cost £19 with a limited number at £14 for 18-29 year olds. Tickets will be sold online and the organisers expect demand to be high. For information about how to get tickets go to www.TEDxMacclesfield.com.