REVIEW – Devizes Arts Festival – Sue Stockdale @ St. John’s Assembly Room, Devizes 3rd June 2023

An Adventurous Mindset

Andy Fawthrop

On to Day 2 of the Arts Festival, and something a little different. That’s the good thing about a two-week festival like this – there’s something in there for everyone. And this afternoon’s offering featured a very adventurous soul, who was keen to relate what she’d learnt in the course of her travels.

Saturday afternoon in a church assembly room is not one of my usual haunts, but listening to Sue Stockdale was a very good reason to be here. Scot Sue comes with an enviable pedigree – not only is she a polar adventurer and motivational speaker, she’s also spent much of her life not only exploring the world’s most remote and hostile environments (including Greenland, Antarctica, and Chile), she’s also thought long and hard about what motivates her, and what the wider lessons are.

Her initial inspiration is excitement and adventure, but I guess anyone could say that. What makes Sue interesting is the way she’s translated that inspiration into solid and specific action, developing new skills along the way, together with both physical and mental resilience. The challenges have not always been obvious or straightforward – for example, how do you raise the money to fund your adventures? How do you deal with the ecological impact of what you do? How do you develop the necessary team-work skills to make an expedition work?

In 1996, Sue became the first British woman to reach the magnetic North Pole and, aside from sharing some of her photos and experiences, she was keen to relate how the team kept sane, conserved energy, developed working routines, and overcame the navigational challenges of such an undertaking.

It was at times an Old Skool slide presentation but, mixed in with video clips, and a light-hearted and engaging delivery style, she kept her audience enthralled right through until it was time for the Q&A at the end. Fascinating stuff – entertaining, interesting and, yes, motivating. For people like me, who struggle to get their act together to even get out of The Vize these days, it was a true lesson in how to really get one’s arse in gear.

Copies of Sue’s latest book EXPLORE: A Life of Adventure are available for purchase at Devizes Books.

The Devizes Arts Festival continues, with events every day, until Saturday 17th June. The full programme of events, times and prices is available online.

Tickets can be booked at Devizes Books or online at www.devizesartsfestival.org.uk