“2 days. Sand. Sea. Saving the World.  (It’s the UK we can’t promise the sun).”

Ben Akers may well save the world. The ex-creative director of Republic of Everyone intent on producing good work for good, has launched a festival that celebrates “The Greats of Good”.

GoodFest Cornwall’s mission statement begins, We at GoodFest believe that brave ideas can change the world. That the way we work, the way we live, what we buy and how we act, will create the future we want and need.

From April 25 through April 27, the Greats of Good will tell their audience how they do it. And hopefully inspire the next generation of change-makers.

This is its story by Ben Akers:

People often ask me if I miss Australia. And there is no doubt that I do. I miss the people, the lifestyle, and the way that creatives put their balls on the line. Because in my six years there, that’s what I saw in the creative industry. There is something in the Aussie DNA, something in their attitude that if they really believe in an idea they really go for it. So learning from that, we came up with GoodFest Cornwall.  

It all began when Claire (my wife) and I went to the Emergence Creative Festival in the Margaret River in Aus. It was still very much in its fledgling years, but that just added to its power. It was so fresh, so exhilarating, so borderless.  It was full of amazingly talented people talking about their fresh and brave ideas.  And because it was small (ish), it was accessible for students to buy a beer for a CEO/legend without it being weird. 

So when Claire and I returned to the UK – we kept talking about the positive environment that was created at Emergence and she said, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we had something like that here?  Somewhere that relaxed conversations stimulate world-changing ideas – and the sand between your toes would help.”

Three years later, that’s what we’re trying to do on Fistral beach, in Newquay, Cornwall with GoodFest.

Cornwall is the closest thing the UK has to the Margy. A rich creative culture that would embrace the “Greats of Good.”  Unlike Emergence (although it was inherent in everything they do) GoodFest is about when Creativity meets Purpose.

So this April 25 through 27, 200 or so people will be listening, be inspired and will engage in workshops with such trailblazers as Tim Smit, founder of The Eden Project; Hugo Tagholm the chief exec of Surfers Against Sewage; Pat Smith, founder of the campaign, Final Straw (as well as Action Nan); Zoe Robinson, founder of The Good Wardrobe; Natalie Fee, founder of City to Sea/Refill Bristol…and to remind me of Australia,  JC one of the founders of Movember.

All presented by our MC, the super John Paul Flintoff, writer of How to Change the world –  and a bunch more (there should be 20 in all). 

So if you’re in the UK in April – or fancy visiting and want to go to one of its best bits – come to Cornwall. Meet cool people. Get inspired. Change the world.

 Find out everything you want to know about Goodfest Cornwall here.

Follow its conversations here: Tw: @GoodFestivalUK Insta:@goodfestcornwall

[Ben is also returning to Aus in March to MC Emergence. Meet up with him there too.]