DETAILS have been revealed of a free 'feel good' family fun day in Lochwinnoch this summer.
The Feel-Good Festival of Fun will be held in Lochwinnoch Park on Saturday, August 24.
The mini festival will be free to enter and provide entertainment for all ages between 12pm and 7pm.
Entertainment includes a bar tent, three street food trucks and several stalls where there will be community groups and charities that work around mental health alongside stalls selling sustainable products.
There will be a variety of activities to enjoy, including Paisley Community Circus, who are hosting a give-it-a-go style workshop, allowing people to learn how to juggle or hula-hoops or experiment with some of the circus excipient.
Kids can have their face painted in the craft tent and are offered free balloon modelling.
Tori Bell, project manager for organising charity LEAP (Local Energy Action Plan) explained the aim of this event is to focus on the improvement of wellbeing within the community.
She said: “What we are trying to do is connect people to each other and also services that might be able to support their mental health.
"It is about building structures of support from the ground in the community.”
A storytelling tent and therapy tent will be set up where people can get taster treatments of Thai massages, reflexology and an opportunity to have your angle cards read.
All the events and activities at the Feel-Food Festival are completely free to participate in.
Tori also revealed there will be live music throughout the day.
She said: “We have already confirmed some great bands including samba band Bloco Winnoch, and this year we’re looking forward to finishing with a DJ set from Azulon.”
All the events and activities mentioned at the feel-good festival are completely free which is great for those who are on a limited budget.
Tori says that through her work at the Lochwinnoch Community Larder project she's acutely aware of how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting people's mental health.
"We definitely know from direct dialogue from people is that the cost-of-living is affecting those households," she said, "and the choices people are having to make between putting food on the table and putting the heating on.
“For a lot of people there really isn’t a lot of money for them to spend on nice therapies, or wellbeing treatments, or on joining community groups that come with a cost.
“For us, it’s about making it accessible, because we know that people on low incomes or probably at greater risk from mental health issues.”
Advice from organisers is to get to the event early as spaces are limited, with a one-in-one-out operation happening once the park is at full capacity.
Travelling via public transport is also being encouraged due to limited parking within the area.
Organisers LEAP thanked Renfrewshire Council’s Villages Investment Fund and National Lottery Awards For All for their contributions towards this year’s event.
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