Friday 26th April, 7.30pm, Finstock Village Hall

John is one of Britain’s most experienced adventurers and public speakers. For many years he was a broadcaster with the BBC World Service and Radio 4, making travel documentaries and contributing to programmes such as ‘From Our Own Correspondent’. But it’s for his thought-provoking, beautifully illustrated talks that people know him best. He has spoken to over 1,000 audiences in six countries, and holds the Royal Geographical Society’s much-coveted Ness Award for popularising geography and the wider understanding of the world.

In 1868 Queen Victoria’s government mounted an extraordinary bid to rescue a small clutch of European hostages in the Abyssinian highlands. They built a Red Sea port, then a railway across the coastal plain, and finally brought in 44 Indian elephants and took on 26,000 local people to serve the soldiers and carry their heavy guns into the heart of Africa. A hundred and fifty years later, John followed their route, partly on foot with a donkey, and compared Eritrea and Ethiopia then and now. He found today’s people spirited and energetic, living in dramatic and extremely challenging lands. It was history, geography and adventure combined!

Tickets: £10.00 (or £8.00 for under-18s and students) from Mike Breakell on 01993 868201 or mjbreakell@aol.com