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Wellbeing Festival was good for the soul!
How do you get the Mayor of Cramlington to walk over a bed of broken glass?
Invite her to the Northumberland Wellbeing Festival of course!
Walking on broken glass was just one of the activities available to the hundreds of people who attended the event organised by Northumberland Recovery College over Saturday and Sunday.
The Festival was run in partnership with in partnership with Cramlington Town Council, Open Minds Northumberland and NorthFeast and was the first of its kind in the county to spotlight the varying wellbeing services and support that are on offer.
Cramlington Town Mayor, Councillor Helen Morris said: “Attending the Wellbeing Festival was a real eye opener. I was impressed by people’s willingness to have a go at new opportunities and being open to trust the bizarre and the different. I amazed myself by agreeing to walk on real broken glass. When I heard the glass being laid out I never thought I would do it but then the urge came and I was lucky 7th person to walk on broken glass. It was an experience I am so pleased to have achieved and I will never forget it.”
Fellow councillor and Deputy Mayor Christine Dunbar added: “I found the well-being festival enlightening and the fire walking empowering. I intend to continue with boxing classes to help me with my own wellbeing.”
Other festival-goers also embraced the challenges on offer with one saying “Going to bed feeling accomplished tonight. this year I promised myself I would step out of my comfort zone more, say yes to new things more, challenge myself more and love myself more” with another adding “this weekend I’ve listened to inspiring people, had guided meditations, broke arrows with my throat and walked on fire. I’ve met some amazing people over the weekend, began to believe in myself again and seen others learn to believe in themselves and overcome their fears. “
Cramlington Town Council’s Community and Youth Manager Maggie Martin commented “I found the whole weekend quite inspirational. I must congratulate Northumberland Recovery College for laying on the event. It’s always tricky when it is the first event of its kind and I hope it will be repeated in the future, taking on board the experiences gathered over this weekend. I was delighted that so many community groups took part – the number of different organisations involved was what made the event a success as far as I’m concerned. The Festival showed people the kinds of support and activities that are available to help with wellbeing – and importantly it was a lot of fun too!”
