ORGANISERS of the Malvern Festival of Ideas, taking place next weekend, have announced that Dr Eleanor O'Gorman, senior associate of the University of Cambridge Centre for Gender Studies, will be coming to speak on Women in Conflict.

Dr O'Gorman replaces the original speaker, journalist and writer Victoria Brittain, who is unable to attend the weekend for family reasons.

Dr O'Gorman is an independent consultant and researcher on issues of conflict and international development that range from programmes to support peace processes, gender analysis and women’s participation, to strategic assessments of organisations and the impact of aid.

Her clients include the United Nations, the European Union, the governments of the UK, Ireland, and Germany, as well as NGOs such as Conciliation Resources, Crisis Action and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

Her field experience includes Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Dr O'Gorman previously served as a senior adviser with the UN on conflict prevention and peacebuilding as well as EU-UN relations.

Ticket sales for the festival are doing well, with several events, including Matt Prichard's Surprising Science magic show, Mona Siddiqui's Conflict and the Search for Justice talk, and Charlie Lupton's Build a Viking Longboat session, having already sold out.

Andrew Webb, chair of the organising team, said: "We are pleased at the response that we have had so far. If you are planning to come along to an event, we recommend you book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.’

Malvern Festival of Ideas takes place on Friday to Sunday, March 2 to 4, at various venues in the town. For further details, visit malvernfestivalofideas.org.uk or call 01684 565708 for a brochure. Brochures are also available from the Tourist Information Office.