Swindon Dance hosts first ever TEDx event for the town

On Friday 19th June Swindon Dance hosted its first-ever TEDx event to a full audience. TEDx Railway Village brought together speakers from across the UK and overseas for a day of talks, discussion and networking. The event marks a significant addition to Swindon’s growing cultural calendar and comes as the town continues to develop its ambitions around arts, creativity and a future City of Culture bid.

Part of the internationally recognised TEDx programme, the event had been independently organised to provide a platform for local and national speakers to share ideas and experiences. This year’s theme, “Lines of Connection”, explored how people, communities and disciplines intersect in areas ranging from technology and leadership to culture, wellbeing and innovation.

Held in the heart of the historic Railway Village, the event aimed to combine Swindon’s industrial heritage with its modern cultural ambitions.

The inaugural speaker line-up included authors, entrepreneurs, academics, performers and community leaders from a wide range of backgrounds.

Among those taking part was Amanda Klapish, theatre director and academic Andrei Malaev-Babel, and Bob Wright. The programme also featured contributions from leadership expert Marcus Weston, social entrepreneur Nyasha Gwatidzo, author and coach Pearl Jordan and cultural leader Dr Roderick Hebden. Other speakers included media consultant Fiona Scott, entrepreneur and philanthropist James Phipps, and technology pioneer Jeremy Holt.Award-winning author Sonal Shah and internationally acclaimed musician Soumik Datta also made an appearance.

Organisers welcomed people from across Swindon and beyond who took the opportunity to exchange ideas and build new connections across sectors and communities. TEDx Railway Village was founded by Robert Jandy and Debbie Bryan, who hope it will become a long-term fixture in Swindon’s cultural landscape.