Wellbing Festival 2013 Flyer (click to download pdf)

Sheffield Wellbeing Festival – part of the Sheffield Mental Health Week Initiative – is back for its fifth year.

Friday 26th July will see Fargate filled with stalls, activities, games and even a film screening. Two months ahead of World Mental Health Day, organisations and charities from across the city will join in a celebration of wellbeing.

The Festival will also promote the steps we can all take to enhance and safeguard our own mental health and wellbeing – “just as important as getting your 5-a-day,” according to co-ordinator Sara Hill.

Sara spoke on today’s Communities Live show on Sheffield Live, telling presenter Dale Le Fevre that, “one in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point and so the services that support people in those times are vitally important.”

However all too often these services are unsung – hence this Festival.

The festival will see Fargate brimming with stalls from organisations offering information on their services, volunteering opportunities and more.

Free taster sessions for fun, healthy activities that the whole family can enjoy from Zumba to parachute games will be available from 11am, as well as stilt walkers and a free facepainter for the young, and young at heart.

And don’t miss Madame Zucchini who will provide her unique, vegetable-based entertainment in a performance at 3pm.

Sheffield City Council’s Little Library will be offering children’s activities and workshops throughout the day.

Councillor Mary Lea, Sheffield City Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Care and Independent Living, said: “We are really pleased to be supporting the Wellbeing Festival and it is important that it is focusing on mental health. For many years people often found it difficult to talk about mental health problems even though it is something that affects many people and impacts greatly on overall health and wellbeing. Thankfully, here in Sheffield there is a lot of support for people – this day really will show how people can get help and show they are not alone. There will be so much going on during the day and anyone can get involved  – we hope it is a real success and that many people will benefit.”

What next?

• Get along to the Festival this Friday on Fargate
• Listen to Sara Hill talking with Dale Le Fevre on today’s Communities Live show. Sara’s interview starts at 32:45.
• Sheffield Mental Health Week on twitter
• Sheffield Mental Health Week and World Mental Health Day will still be celebrated in October with a week of varied events promoting mental health and wellbeing. For more information please contact Sara Hill on
 0114 438 0737 or mentalhealthweek@sheffieldmind.co.uk