Experience Oxfordshire has announced John Simpson CBE as keynote speaker at the annual Cultural Platform 2020. His speech will be followed by a conversation with Richard Venables DL, former High Sheriff of Oxfordshire 2018/19 and board member of Experience Oxfordshire.
Taking place amid the opulent surroundings of Heythrop Park Resort, the conversation will explore John’s experiences gathered during his rich and varied career as a foreign correspondent for the BBC. The event will take place on 11 March and will be followed by a networking reception.
Paul Russell, Resort Director for Heythrop Park Resort said, “We are delighted to host the prestigious Cultural Platform this year. Heythrop Park Resort’s story combines an 18th century manor house with a stylish, contemporary estate and we are conscious of our place within the wider story of Oxfordshire – combing the historic with the modern to create a unique sense of place. We very much look forward to John Simpson’s stories of the many places he has reported from, and how they may have shaped him.”
The Cultural Platform brings together Oxfordshire’s cultural community to seek ways of encouraging and enabling the exploration of the county’s cultural treasures by local people. Speakers from previous years have included then-Prime Minister David Cameron, author Philip Pullman, Arts Correspondent Will Gompertz, political broadcaster Robert Peston and Dame Helen Ghosh, Director General of the National Trust.
Commenting on the forthcoming event, Hayley Beer-Gamage, Chief Executive of Experience Oxfordshire said, “Our Cultural Platform is part of Experience Oxfordshire’s continuing commitment to promoting culture and pride of place in Oxfordshire. It will be a privilege to share the perspective of a correspondent of the calibre of John Simpson CBE, and we are delighted to be holding it at Heythrop Park Resort which will provide a wonderful setting for this year’s event.”
To book a place or for more information about Experience Oxfordshire, please visit the website.
