Two-day mix of adventure speakers and top films due to hit Peak District spa town in October.
One for your advance diaries with the announcement of the programme for the new Buxton Adventure Festival, which is set to run over the weekend of 20-21 October, 2012 with a mix of top speakers and film with an adventure travel and sport slant.
Brought to you by the nice people behind the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival, the Buxton event will take place at the Pavillion Arts Centre with a format consisting of five two-hour sessions per day, each session consisting of a speaker followed by a selection of films. Which sounds good to us.
Who's There?
Speakers announced so far include mountain bike downhill World Champion Danny Hart; stuntman Gary Connery with his first talk since his wingsuited, parachute-free jump from a helicopter; and distinctively-named Everest mountaineer Squash Falcolner - the first woman to solo paraglide from the summit of Mont Blanc.
In addition, following on from the success of the Young Adventurers programmes at ShAFF, there are two special Young Adventurers morning sessions with multiple trials bike champion Danny Butler and Maddie Thompson, 2012 Paralympic basketballer.
And There's More...
And that's just the start. Other names you may be familiar with include top adventure photographer John Beatty, Richard Askwith - fell-runner & author of cult classic Feet in the Clouds and Gordon Stainforth - writer, film-maker and author of the acclaimed 'Fiva' and other climbing books.
Finally, Mike Tomlinson - widower of endurance athlete and charity cancer fundraiser Jane Tomlinson - has agreed to be patron of the festival and the University of Derby has backed the event with a three-year headline sponsorship deal.
Bowled Over...
Festival head honcho - we're on commission for using that phrase - Matt Heasonis characteristically upbeat over the new event commenting:
"We've been bowled over by the growing popularity of our annual Sheffield Adventure Film Festival. Our aim is to combine the excitement of live lectures by some of the world's best athletes, travellers, writers and photographers with the magic of seeing adventure films on the big screen.
'And where better a venue than Buxton - right on the doorstep of some of the country's best climbing, running, biking, walking and caving?"
The Practicalities
The festival takes place over the weekend of 20-21 October, 2012 at the Pavillion Arts Centre, Buxton. Tickets available from Buxton Opera House ticket office in various permutations with student discounts and family ticket options available.
You can find full details at www.buxtonadventurefestival.co.uk and we're absolutely certain that the well-oiled Heason Events publicity machine, let's call it Lissa, will be telling you a lot more about the festival over the coming weeks.
