TEDxBanbury's fifth speaker announced

Director of Tooley’s Boatyard Matthew Armitage is announced as the fifth speaker at TEDxBanbury taking place on February 29 next year.

Following a career in archaeology, supervising excavations; design engineer and director of Banbury’s historic dry dock, Tooley’s Boatyard, Matthew, brings innovative ideas to the

TEDxBanbury stage.

A fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, Matthew is also the designer and manufacturer of a new heavy duty, observatory based British telescope mount: ‘Astromount’, combining his passion for astronomy and engineering.

TEDxBanbury curator Hilary Beaton, said: "To have Matthew joining us at TEDxBanbury is testimony to the design and innovation championing our town, not just locally, but nationally and

internationally.

"Design engineering has now become recognised as one of the most crucial areas for a sustainable economy, and Banbury lies in close proximity to some of the top universities which offer studies in Engineering, including Oxford and Warwick.”

Matthew leads courses not only in RYA boat handling, but also astrophotography. There is an observatory based at Tooley’s Boatyard, and at his home.

He has recently published his book ‘Forging Ahead’, the sale of which supports Tooley’s Boatyard.