Inaugural TEDxSherborne event held at new Arts Centre

Thursday 9 May saw the inaugural TEDxSherborne event held in town - an event organised by the local community for the local community. The day was filled with brilliant speakers, artistic performances, and thought-provoking short films, around the theme of how to make Sherborne ‘Fit For the Future’.

More than 100 people applied to be speakers, and these were whittled down to the final 13, representing a true cross-section of the local community, every generation, from all different backgrounds. 

Guests were taken aback at the powerful talks ranging from improving our community through action on conservation, working with vulnerable young people, to increasing the number of cyclists and the benefits that brings to areas. A number of speakers were
students from local schools, talking with passion about the environment, politics and democracy, with guests commenting on how impressive the young people were and how they gave them hope for the future. We were particularly thrilled for Chloë Dick, currently in Lower Sixth, who presented a wonderful and compassionate talk on conservation.

Held at our brand new Arts Centre facility, the event sought to inspire and bring together people in the town to spark action and initiatives to improve the local area. Local community groups were invited to have stands at the event, including Sherborne Chamber of Trade, Sherborne Food Bank, the Paddock Project, The Rendezvous Centre and SHARES.

Students from Sherborne Girls worked alongside pupils from other local schools including The Gryphon, Leweston and Sherborne
School collaborated on group performances for the interludes, including a captivating slam poetry performance, and a drama performance about the impact of social media.

The event proved incredibly popular with tickets selling out in the first week, and up to 5,000 people watching online on YouTube Live at homes, schools and workplaces across the area and beyond - including the USA, Australia, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and Uganda!

The speaker videos will be edited and published online so that they can be shared around the world.

Planning is already underway for next year’s event, which it is hoped will build on its success to date and show that Sherborne is a hub of exciting ideas and community action.

You can view the speakers' presentations by clicking this link: https://tedxsherborne.com/our-2019-speakers-2/

Further information:
TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged. Today it covers almost all topics, from science to business and global
issues in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, over 2,500 independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.