Entertainment

Global lineup set to take the stage as TEDx Clapham returns

The founder of Tedx Clapham believes this year will see the strongest lineup yet as the event returns for a third time.

Themed around ‘Growth’ Tedx Clapham will bring together leading speakers and thinkers from across the globe at the Clapham Grand, including Olympian Leon Taylor, subterranean farmer Richard Ballard, south London rapper Che Lingo and many more.

For founder and organiser Alex Merry, there are several speakers he’s particularly keen to hear from.

He said: “Having lived in Clapham for seven years and not realised there’s an underground farm underneath Clapham common that is absolutely vast — I think that’s pretty cool.

“What he’s doing is setting a precedent for underground farm and urban farming. Its ridiculously advanced what he’s doing.

“We also have Anna Machin who has uncovered some research on the biochemistry of fatherhood and what happens at the exact moment a man becomes a father and their body completely changes.

“It’s a really under researched field and I’m excited to hear her talk

“I think it’s going to be massively varied, none of the talks are remotely similar to each other.”

Alex also feels there is more to the event than the speakers, having introduced for the first time this year an opportunity for audience members to share their own ideas on stage.

Alex said: “We’ve spent so long putting this together, the team and I, we have loads of little surprises in store for the audience.

“Hopefully people are going to walk out with so much more than they expected to get.

“People come for the talks, but they’ll realise there’s way more to it than that.”

Alex has hopes the event can continue to grow, with some exciting plans already in the pipeline for 2019.

“We are considered in the tedx world as a fairly well-established event now and one of the bigger events in London and I think it would be a shame for things to fizzle out at the end of the event.

“We’d like to grow it, how it looks who knows but I’m sure we’ll try some interesting things in the future.”

Alex is also excited to have the chance to challenge what he sees as a lazy perception of Clapham and its residents.

He said: “Having lived in Clapham for a fair amount of time at that point, I found that it’s often seen as this graduate hub of white, middle class graduates to take in the nightlife then they go off to something else, but it’s not just that.

“I just saw it as this incredible platform to share ideas on a community level.

“There’s some really good talent doing good things in the community and beyond the community as well.”

What: Tedx Clapham
When: Sunday June 17
Where: Clapham Grand, Sw11 1TT
Tickets

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