Cutting-edge talks are back as Berwins Salon North returns to Harrogate to discuss sleep, psychology and genetics

Held at 7.30pm on Thursday, February 9, at the Crown Hotel, Harrogate, the cabaret-style evening is sponsored by Berwins Solicitors and produced by Harrogate International Festivals.

Harrogate’s answer to live TED talks (Technology, Entertainment, Design), the three guest speakers in the first Salon North of the year promise to offer up a lively and thought-provoking evening.

Showcasing ideas from all disciplines and exploring how they connect, each expert speaker is challenged to engage the audience with a 25-minute set, which is designed to excite our curiosity and change our lives for the better.

First up will be Professor of circadian neuroscience, Russell Foster who will take the audience on a fascinating and surprising journey through the science of our body clocks.

He will explore how our tendency to push our daily routine into the night – carrying out work, exercise and social activity after dark – is not only disrupting our sleep, but leaving us more vulnerable to infection, cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and mental illness.

Next up will be Dion Terrelonge, a Doctor of Psychology who practises in the dual fields of educational psychology and fashion psychology, will share psychological insights into our relationships with clothing and consumerism.

Her talk will aim to equip listeners with a better understanding of their own behaviours and tendencies as consumers.

In Dion’s doctorate, she identified a tendency for psychologists to focus on interior worlds, and in return she set out to explore how managing and negotiating external presentations can impact on our wellbeing.

The final speaker Adam Rutherford, will tell the difficult story of eugenics through history.

A brilliant speaker and host, along with Hannah Fry, of popular BBC Radio 4 programmes Inside Science and The Curious Case of Rutherford and Fry, Adam will explain how powerful people in history have sought to dictate reproduction and regulate the interface of breeding and society.

The talk will also look at how the legacy of eugenics is perpetuated in our language today – in words such as ‘moron’ and ‘imbecile’ – as well as how, with modern gene-editing techniques, real conversations are happening about the possibility of tinkering with the DNA of our unborn children.

Sharon Canavar, Harrogate International Festivals Chief Executive, said: “With an amazing roster of speakers lined up, we are very excited to see the return of Berwins Salon North.

“The topics that will be discussed at this first Salon of the 2023 season are not only highly interesting, but also deeply relevant to our lives.

“Once again I’d like to thank headline sponsor, Berwins, for their continued support in enhancing Harrogate’s reputation as a northern hub for culture.”

Salon North will be hosted by its founder, award-winning screenwriter, author and cultural curator Helen Bagnall who originally set up Salon London in 2008.

Salon North once appeared prominently in the ‘Top 100 Things to do in the World’ by GQ magazine.

Associate Director of Berwins Solicitors, Martin Whincup, said: “It’s definitely going to be a thought-provoking, entertaining and informative evening.”

Tickets for the event are available from the Harrogate International Festival website or by calling the box office on 01423 562303.