A boys' school welcomed experts for an in-depth discussion on Earth, its place in the universe, the beauty and power of the world, and solutions to some of the problems facing humanity.

John Lyon School in Harrow-on-the-Hill, invited speakers on October 17 for TED, an annual event that brings together the world’s leading thinkers and doers to share ideas.

A 12-year-old-pupil, an expert on the Big Bang and a mountaineer who has stood on top of the world, talked with passion and positivity about how humans can affect change to help the future of the Earth as well as to help us, the people who are lucky enough to call this Earth our home.

Seven John Lyon pupils, Jai Davison, Varun Valentine, Tanvir Handa, Dhiren Mahajan, Husain Abedi, Rishi Luthra and Ashil Shah, were joined by three teachers, Maria Trafford, Joshua Carr and Morgan White, and three other experts, astronomer Chris Crowe, mountaineer Matt Dickinson and interfaith and communications professional Zaki Cooper.

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Jai Davison

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Joshua Carr

Subjects covered under the central theme of Earth were varied from extraterrestrials to bees, and from alchemy to faith, all delivered from memory without any use of notes.

Tanvir Handa, whose talk looked at the world's use of technology: "TEDxJohnLyonSchool was truly a remarkable experience for me, as well as a nervous time in the build-up. This was a very proud moment for me and I hope everyone watching the talks enjoy them and gets motivated to help our planet in some way."

Maria Trafford, event organiser, whose talk looked at how we always focus on human concerns: "The challenge of learning public speaking as a new skill and being in awe of John Lyon boys who seemed so confident and resilient at such a young age will be the memories I take away from TEDx."

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Maria Trafford on stage

Rishi Luthra, whose talk focused on how future populations could be housed underwater, said: "Taking Part in a TEDx event was not only an enjoyable experience but a chance to share my interest in property development. Looking to the future and how we live like is very important and producing ideas early, such as underwater civilisations, makes us appreciate what we might face."

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Rishi Luthra

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Matt Dickinson

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Dr Morgan White

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Tanvir Handa and Dhiren Mahajan

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Varun Valentine