A filmmaker, whose adventures include tracking polar bears through the arctic and coming face-to-face with leopard seals, is to give a talk at a Durham Festival.

Durham Adventure Festival – which runs from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th April – has just added wildlife filmmaker Doug Allan to its line-up of exciting speakers.

Doug often treks through polar wastes and other extreme and dangerous environments in order to get the perfect shot.

Doug, who is also the author of the book Freeze Frame – a Wildlife Cameraman’s Adventures on Ice, will give his talk at the Gala Theatre on Saturday 27th April at 8.00 pm. Tickets cost £16.

Durham Adventure Festival 1 Doug
Doug Allan

Another guest confirmed for Durham Adventure Festival is the two-time Olympic rower Helen Glover MBE.

A member of the Great Britain Rowing Team, Helen has won two Olympic gold medals. She is also a triple world champion, a quintuple World Cup winner and a triple European champion.

At the 2012 Olympics, Helen and her rowing partner Heather Stanning won gold in the women’s coxless pairs, an event in which they also set a world record. This was the first ever Olympic gold medal won by British women rowers.

Helen Glover’s talk will take place at the Gala Theatre on Saturday 27th April at 3.00 pm, with tickets priced at £12.50.

Durham Adventure Festival 3 helen-glover-01-TMP
Helen Glover

Helen and Doug’s talks will replace the talks that were due to be given by Ed Stafford and Laura Bingham, who can no longer appear at Durham Adventure Festival because of filming commitments.

People who booked tickets to see Ed and Laura can either exchange their tickets or get a full refund. The Gala Theatre’s box office will be in contact with all those holding tickets for Ed and Laura’s events.

Other guests confirmed for the festival include veteran mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington, cave diver Jason Mallinson, world champion boulderer Shauna Coxsey, Scottish endurance cyclist Jenny Graham, explorer Ash Bhardwaj, runner Jenny Tough and mountaineer Leo Houlding.

Durham Adventure Festival will also include films, live demonstrations, a climbing wall, an ‘Everest Base Camp’, and opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to try a range of activities. The festival aims to kindle enthusiasm for the great outdoors and to encourage people to enjoy their own adventures.

The manager of the Gala Theatre, Robin Byers, said, “We are delighted Helen and Doug are joining us for the festival next month.”

“I’m sure they will have many fascinating stories which will appeal to aspiring adventurers of all ages.”

“It is a shame Ed and Laura can’t attend this year, but we are really looking forward to watching their new television series when it airs. Hopefully, they can visit us here in Durham in the future.”

To see the full programme for Durham Adventure Festival or to book tickets, please go to https://www.durhamadventurefestival.co.uk/.

Tickets can also be booked by telephoning the Gala Theatre’s box office on 03000 266 600.

Durham Adventure Festival is run by Durham County Council and produced in partnership with Kendal Mountain Festival.

The festival is part of #Durham19, a year-long campaign aimed at highlighting and celebrating a range of sporting and cultural events taking place across County Durham.

To learn more about #Durham19, please visit http://www.durham.gov.uk/durham19.

(This article’s featured image shows Doug Allan filming a humpback whale.)


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