Doug Scott At Nepal Himalayan Festival

Legendary mountaineer Doug Scott will be the star guest at the 2004 Nepal Himalayan Festival in Manchester on 5-6 June.

Scott, the first Brit to reach the summit of Everest, will speak about 'Moments of Being' at the festival, now in its third year. Organized by the Nepalese Association in theUK and hosted by Manchester City Council in the beautiful Town Hall, the festival will feature talks, delicious Nepalese food, arts and artifacts from Nepal as well as information for trekkers, climbers, backpackers, gap year students and eco-tourists.

The event is free, apart from entry to the Doug Scott lecture which is £5 (or £3.50 concessions) and other mountaineering speakers include Neil Cooper ('Climbing Kanjiroba') and Richard Bull ('Climbing Ama Dablam, November 2003'); other lectures will cover subjects including ecology, botany, textiles, Buddhism, volunteering opportunities, children's rights and Nepalese art.

If you're lucky enough to have visited Nepal, you'll know that there's a lot more to the country than its incredible mountain scenery - there's a fascinating ecology including jungle environments and an incredible mix of culture and religion mixing Tibetan Buddhism with Hinduism along with music, art and culture. Above all, despite the ongoing Maoist insurgency, the people are incredibly friendly and welcoming.

Tickets for festival lectures are available from the Library Theatre Box Office on 0161 236 7110, and more information including a detailed programme can be found on the web site.