Brightlingsea’s annual WinterFest, which joined forces this year with the first ever Brightlingsea Literary Festival, raised over £4,300 for charity.
Both festivals are run by a small band of enthusiastic volunteers who organised the programme of 27 mostly free events for all age groups throughout February in venues across Brightlingsea.
The latest sum means that the festival has raised over £30,000 for the WinterFest Wellbeing Fund and the mental health charity, Mid and North East Essex Mind, in the eight years that it’s been running.
“The response from the community has been overwhelming, every event has proved popular and well-supported, with a whole host of attractions and activities ranging from reggae to sea shanties, writing and art workshops, book launches, a comedy night, healthy walks and wellbeing activities,” said the organisers.
“Musicians, poets, writers, artists, DJs, wellbeing practitioners and comedians gave their time and talents without charging fees to help make the combined festivals a resounding success”
The bulk of this year’s fundraising will go to the WinterFest Wellbeing fund, which gives grants of up to £100 to local residents to boost their wellbeing – paying for such things as music lessons, days out, Lido tickets and more.
“The feedback has shown that the combination of WinterFest running alongside the newly launched Brightlingsea Literary Festival, is a winning formula, raising spirits and bringing people together to help banish winter gloom. We would like to thank everyone for the great support shown for this year’s events.”
