Shared Vision: A short film
Filmed by award-winning cameraman, Keith Partridge, ‘Shared Vision’ is a short film documenting Red Szell’s extraordinary expedition to the wild and remote, Am Buachaille. In order to complete Scotland’s “Big Three” sea stacks (also known as the ‘three Tom Patey stacks’), Red and his team undertook an extreme triathlon, composed of a 10-mile off-road tandem bike ride, an ocean swim, and a 200-foot summit. 'Shared Vision' documents his unique journey, showing that disability is no barrier to adventure. ‘Shared Vision’ was selected as a finalist at the 2019 Banff Film Festival.
CHARITY RAFFLE
We will be hosting a charity raffle at this event, in aid of RNIB. Raffle tickets are £5 per ticket. PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE ONLY ABLE TO ACCEPT CASH DONATIONS AT THIS EVENT. The winner of the raffle will receive a Nuclei FL Jacket, and the runners-up will receive a signed copy of Blind May of Hoy.
SCHEDULE
7.30PM Doors open
7.45PM Film Screening, ‘Shared Vision'
8.00PM Q&A with Red Szell and Louis Parkinson
8.30PM Social + Charity Raffle
9.00PM Event close
SPEAKERS
Red Szell is a writer, broadcaster and adventurer who refuses to allow blindness to stand in his way. A published author himself, he presents Read on a The UK’s only weekly radio show and podcast devoted to audiobooks.
In 2013 Red became the first blind person to climb the Old Man of Hoy (the tallest sea-stack in the Northern Hemisphere) – a feat that was captured by top-adventure cameraman Keith Partridge (Touching the Void, Bonington Mountaineer) in a BBC TV documentary. The following year Red completed a successful ascent of The Old Man of Stoer. However his attempt to complete the hat-trick of Tom Patey classic sea stacks by climbing Am Buachaille in 2015 was thwarted by adverse weather and sea conditions. Instead he became the first blind person to complete the gruelling 100 mile South Downs Way on a tandem (the route takes in 11,000 feet of hill climbs and he and his sighted tandem partner hit speeds of up to 50mph on the downhill sections!) A keen year-round open water swimmer, he is also the first blind person to complete the Henley Mile and regularly takes part in wild swimming events around the UK.
The 2015 publication of The Blind Man of Hoy, Red’s account of meeting the nightmare of losing his sight, by finding camaraderie and purpose in outdoor challenges, led to a string of appearances at book festivals and a TED Talk. Since then Red has continued to work as a motivational speaker, talking about his experience of sight loss and encouraging others to focus on what they can achieve rather than seeing only what they have lost. It’s a message he also promotes in his regular appearances on BBC Radio 4’s In Touch programme and in the wide-range of newspaper, magazine and blog articles he writes…when he’s not daydreaming about the sound of the waves breaking at the base of the next crag he plans to climb!
Louis Parkinson is a professional climber and climbing coach. With over 15 years’ experience, Louis is a passionate advocate for competing, climbing outdoors and training indoors. “For me, climbing is a sport with two simple aims: try hard, have fun. So long as you're doing those two things, it doesn't matter what level you're at!” A former member of the GB bouldering team, Louis has competed at the Bouldering World Cup, and made a successful ascent of Riverbed in Switzerland (V13).
PARTNERS
This event will be held in support of RNIB.
About RNIB
We are the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). Every six minutes, someone in the UK begins to lose their sight. RNIB is taking a stand against exclusion, inequality and isolation to create a world without barriers where people with sight loss can lead full lives. A different world where society values blind and partially sighted people not for the disabilities they’ve overcome, but for the people they are.
TALKS | FOOD | DRINK | CHARITY RAFFLE
Image credit: Keith Partridge
