The Stamford Lectures are delivered by invited speakers who are experts in their particular field. They are open to our pupils, parents, members of staff, Old Stamfordians and to members of the local community. The lectures support our ethos of encouraging independent learning and intellectual curiosity. They are as valuable for inspiring debate and discussion at home and in the classroom as they are for imparting knowledge: we choose speakers who will be thought-provoking as well as entertaining and informative.
Our lectures are completely free of charge, and are run as part of our commitment to supporting lifelong learning within our local community. However, we welcome voluntary donations at the end of each lecture: the money you donate will fund transformational bursaries for local children.
Upcoming Speakers
Ben Thompson
Our Stamford Lecture series goes digital, as we host our first ever Lecture via Zoom!
Ahead of the forthcoming US Elections, BBC News presenter Ben Thompson will join us to discuss world politics.
Ben is one of the presenters for BBC Breakfast, covering news and business for the programme. He previously anchored BBC World’s flagship daily business programme, Business Live. He spent three years as the BBC’s Middle East Business Correspondent, reporting from a dozen countries including Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. After his time in the Middle East, Ben reported from New York and Washington, serving as North America Business Correspondent.
Dr Kevin Fong
A member of the Royal College of Physicians and a Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists; has worked as a Consultant in Anaesthaesia and intensive care medicine at UCLH, and was co-founder of CASE Medicine, UCL Medical School.
Stamford Lecture on Friday 29 January 2021
Booking details TBC
Please be aware we are following Government guidelines for the safety of our visitors.
Past Speakers
Sarah Outen MBE (OS 03)
A record-breaking adventurer by land and sea, bestselling author, award-winning filmmaker and motivational speaker, Old Stamfordian Sarah was the first woman and the youngest person to row solo across the Indian Ocean and also the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Alaska.
Claire Lomas MBE (OS 98)
A motivational speaker, campaigner, fundraiser and former event rider, Old Stamfordian Claire became a paraplegic as a result of a riding accident in 2007. In 2012, she finished the 32nd Virgin London Marathon in 17 days using the ReWalk robotic suit.
Professor AC Grayling
A British philosopher and author; previously Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London, where he taught from 1991; a supernumerary fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford;
Dr Suzannah Lipscomb
A British historian, academic and television presenter who has written and appeared in a number of television and radio programmes about British history; appointed to a personal chair as Professor of History at the University of Roehampton;
David Starkey
An English constitutional historian and radio and television presenter; formerly a lecturer in history at LSE and written several books on the Tudors;
Chadden Hunter
Producer / Director on BBC’s Seven Worlds One Planet; previously on Planet Earth 2, Wild Arabia, Planet Earth, Life and Frozen Planet.
