Maths Inspiration

2003, Maths authors and speakers Rob Eastaway and Simon Singh realise that outside London there are almost no public maths events suitable for Year 11s/12s (the two school stages when pupils can opt to drop maths). They organise a lecture event in a hall linked to Manchester University and run two events, morning and afternoon. The aim is to show that there's more to maths than taking exams. About 500 attend in total, but the venue is hot, expensive and not in a convenient location. 2004 Rob Eastaway decides to repeat the event, but this time in a theatre in the centre of Manchester - the Royal Exchange. Not only is the location better, but a theatre with its raked seating, lighting and good acoustics has far more impact than a large hall. Tickets are £5, heavily subsidised by sponsors PwC, so that the event will be affordable for all schools. The event is called Maths Inspiration and our tradition of holding all our events in theatres and concert halls is born. The speakers are Colin Wright, Helen Joyce (later to become a senior editor at The Economist) and Rob Eastaway, with Claire Ellis as compere. Two sell-out shows reach nearly 700 teenagers.