The 53rd Rye Arts Festival starts on Friday, September 13 and will feature several people who have fascinating, engaging and entertaining stories to tell, and who deserve a listen.
Kicking off on Saturday, September 14, Ed Peppitt will be at Rye Community Centre at 3pm to talk about his cycling adventure, riding a bicycle around the England and Wales coast to visit the 327 lighthouses that provide a beacon to help save mariners. The 3,500 mile odyssey had its roots in a childhood promise, when his room was intermittently lit by the Dungeness lighthouse, that he would see all the nation’s lighthouses. And many years later, after diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis, Ed got on his bike and fulfilled his promise. This is a story of adventure, dreams and a battle against all the odds. And it is all about light!
Giles Moffatt’s talk on Saturday, September 22, also at the Rye Community Centre, is all about how he teamed with a group of 11 men to raise money for the NSPCC by climbing Mount Everest earlier this year. Four of the men made the summit. Giles’ talk will include film of the mountain and the colourful streets of Kathmandu in Nepal, and he will explain how he and his companions find safety and peace in the hostile mountain terrain. Seven of the climbers, including Giles, are survivors of horrendous abuse at a prestigious Edinburgh private school, and the expedition acted as a catharsis for them, as well as being a fund raiser for the NSPCC. The talk will also see all profits going to the NSPCC.
Johnny Fluffypunk is as much a performer as a storyteller, and his show, which includes poetry, is at times funny, absurd and touching, as he helps us, in the words of M-People, to search for the hero in ourselves! Mr Fluffypunk says you don’t have to climb a mountain, although you can if you want, as simply looking for, finding and then rejoicing in small victories in your life is worthwhile and rewarding. Check him out on Thursday, September 19.
Brenda Read-Brown, on Thursday, September 26, is a personal hymn to the glories of being older, to reaching retirement age but not retiring from life, to not just having had a life well-lived, but to continue living it well. Come and have a laugh with Brenda.
Nathan Evans is talking about his new novella, One Last Song, which focuses on two older gentlemen who meet in a care home and find love, to their surprise and delight. The talk, which will be in the Long Room adjacent to the Ballroom in the George and takes place on Wednesday, September 25 at 5:30pm.
This will be followed by a conversation with Dr Rupert Whitaker OBE, also in the Long Room of the George. Rupert was a co-founder of the Terrence Higgins Trust and has been at the forefront of HIV activism and science for over 40 years.
Following last year’s talk with Rye’s very own Steve Kember about his life repairing musical boxes and subsequent stardom as one of the immensely skilled craftsman on BBC TV’s The Repair Shop, we have a session with David Burville. David, who has a business based in Kent repairing organs, is the resident organ repairer on The Repair Shop. Find out how he was approached by the TV company to join the hit show in a talk in which he will pull out all the stops to entertain and inform you!
In addition to these events the festival has around 50 more ticketed talks, walks, concerts and shows in a packed fortnight starting this weekend. To find out more about these events and to book tickets go to www.ryeartsfestival.org.uk.
Image Credits: Giles Moffatt , Rye Arts Festival , Justin_David/Rye Arts Festival .