TEDxBristol 2025 - Session 3

Join us at the world famous science museum We The Curious for the opening session of incredible talks at TEDx2025!

In Session 2 our TEDxBristol speakers will be:

Stark Holborn – Human Creativity in the Age of AI

Novelist and games writer Stark Holborn creates worlds that blend grit, wit, and imagination — from the acclaimed Factus Sequence (Ten Low, Hel’s Eight, Ninth Life) to the cult classic Nunslinger.

A British Fantasy Award nominated author and lead writer on the sci-fi detective game Shadows of Doubt, Stark explores where human creativity ends and machine imagination begins. At a time when AI can imitate almost anything, she asks what remains uniquely and defiantly human about storytelling.

 “When machines can write, what becomes of imagination?”

Romy Gill MBE – The Flavour of Belonging

Chef, author, and broadcaster Romy Gill MBE has spent her career using food to bridge cultures and tell stories of identity. Born in West Bengal and now based in Bristol, she’s been a regular on Saturday Kitchen, Ready Steady Cook, and The One Show and has authored celebrated cookbooks such as Zaika and On the Himalayan Trail.

Through her recipes and writing, Romy explores how food connects us — across borders, memories, and generations.

“Every spice tells a story and every meal can build a bridge.”

Martin Bisp – Fighting for Change

As CEO and co-founder of Empire Fighting Chance, Martin Bisp has turned a boxing gym in inner-city Bristol into a global movement for social change. What began as helping a handful of young people off the streets now supports thousands through sport, mentoring, and mental-health support, reaching from local communities to UN programmes worldwide. 

Martin’s mission is simple but profound: to fight for every young person’s chance to thrive, no matter where they start.

“From the boxing ring to the UN — proving that every young person deserves a fighting chance.”

Amelia Howe – Rewriting the Language of Illness

At fifteen, Amelia Howe was diagnosed with a rare soft-tissue cancer. Now in remission, she’s using her experience to challenge the way we talk about illness and the systems that support young people through it.

Amelia argues that terms like “fight” and “battle” add pressure rather than empowerment, and that young patients deserve to be heard, not heroicised. Based in Rugby, she’s calling for a new kind of healthcare, one that listens, supports and treats young people as partners in their recovery.

“Health isn’t a battle to win — it’s a story we should tell differently.”

Jared Shurin – Inclusion, One BBQ at a Time

Jared Shurin has spent years working on the frontlines of counter-extremism and community cohesion, discovering that the most powerful solutions aren’t found in policy papers they’re found in smaller, more human places.

Blending his expertise in radicalisation with his love of backyard BBQs, Jared shows how simple, human acts of sharing food and space can defuse division before it starts.