Join us for a mini community lecture event as part of Allama Iqbal Festival 2026 here in Peterborough. Supported by ARU Peterborough.
Tuesday 10 November 2026
Doors open: 11:30am
Talks run: 12pm – 1:30pm
The Living Lab, ARU Peterborough, Bishop’s Road, PE1 5BW
Free – booking essential
What to expect
Lunchtime Talks is a celebration of the work, contributions and enduring relevance of the visionary poet and philosopher Allama Iqbal. Navigating Allama Iqbal will be a relaxed, informal series of talks / lectures, open to the general public alongside invited sixth form students. If you’re familiar with TEDX, it will be like a very small-scale version of a TED Talk.
Talks will be in a mixture of English and Urdu.
Expect to listen to a variety of people taking the spotlight as our “Community Lecturers”. Our Community Lecturers are local people with personal connections to Iqbal or his work. Each lecturer will speak for 8-10 mins, delving into how Allama Iqbal’s poetry and philosophy have shaped the way we see the world, make decisions, build relationships or understand ourselves. Expect to come away having learnt something new, made new connections, seeing yourself and others in a new light.
Hosted by the fantastic Numra Ghafoor. Full line up of Community Lecturers will be announced in October. Reserve your seat early to avoid disappointment.
Navigating Allama Iqbal will feel like a series of mini-lectures, each grounded in lived experiences, community and creativity as much as scholarship or academics. Whether you have spent decades with Iqbal’s work or have come to know him recently, your perspectives are welcome here.
This Allama Iqbal Festival event is brought to you by ARU Peterborough and Numra Ghafoor in partnership with Peterborough Presents, Gladstone Connect, Pakistan Community Association of Peterborough, The Beeches Primary School, Gladstone Park Academy, Salaam Radio, National Literacy Trust, and passionate local residents and Iqbal scholars.
Become a Community Lecturer
Do you have a personal connection to Allama Iqbal, his works, or his legacy? Do you have a story about how Iqbal’s work has influenced you? Whether you’re a grandparent who read Iqbal’s works to your grandchildren at night, a student studying his works in school, a business exec who writes poetry inspired by Iqballian literature on the side…. or anywhere in between, we would love to hear your personal stories about Iqbal.
Find out more about becoming a Community Lecturer here: https://peterboroughpresents.org/allama-iqbal-2026-talks/
Access Information
About the event
The event will be hybrid – happening live, in-person at ARU Peterborough’s Living Lab, and a livestream digital event via Teams. You can choose whether you join us in-person or online when you book your free ticket.
The venue is wheelchair accessible, has step-free access, and a Changing Spaces facility (more info on venue access below).
Talks will be in a mixture of English and Urdu.
Doors will open at 11:30am, with the first speaker starting at 12noon.
Light refreshments of hot drinks and snacks will be provided.
Speakers will be amplified by a microphone. Some will use a slideshow during their talks.
The event is open to anyone aged 18+.
In additional to the general public, we will also have sixth form students from local schools attending.
About the venue
Address: The Living Lab, ARU Peterborough, Bishop’s Road, PE1 5BW
What3words for The Living Lab: suffice.dusty.boil
A limited number of disabled parking bays are available. Pre-booking required.
Please send your name, car make, and registration to charley.genever@neneparktrust.org.uk
The Living Lab is the golden yellow decorated building at the end of the ARU Peterborough campus.
The venue has accessible toilets and a Changing Spaces facility available on campus, a short walk from the Living Lab.
Due to the event being dual-language, we are unable to have a BSL interpreter for the live event. We are exploring the options for making the recording of the event accessible to Deaf audiences – please let Charley know if you would like updates about this: charley.genever@neneparktrust.org.uk / 07435985935.
If you have any access requirements not mentioned in this information, please reach out to Charley on the above contact details.
Parking
The closest available pay and display public car park is the Bishops Road car park.
This is a 2-5 min walk from the Living Lab.
What3words: remote.with.apron
