Brightlingsea WinterFest is preparing to celebrate 10 years of brightening the town with a host of music, arts, spoken word and wellbeing activities.

The  annual volunteer-run festival began in 2015 with a small concert organised as a way of doing something positive following some local cases of suicide. That initial concert was the kickstarter for Brightlingsea WinterFest, a series of events throughout February designed to raise community spirit and help people’s mental, physical and social wellbeing.

Now running alongside the Brightlingsea Literary Festival, over 30 events will take place in February 2025 – all raising money for mental health charity, Mid and North East Essex Mind and the WinterFest Wellbeing Fund. All events are free and the group’s aim is to make them as inclusive as possible, so that they can be enjoyed by everyone in the community.

Alix Sheppard, who co-founded WinterFest with Dave Griffiths, said: “It’s incredible to see how WinterFest has gone from strength to strength in the past 10 years to become a hugely popular highlight in Brightlingsea’s calendar. Having something that brings people of all ages together to enjoy a wide range of events at venues throughout the town makes such a difference at what can be a difficult and isolating time of year.”

She added: “We are also delighted that, thanks to generous donations, WinterFest’s Wellbeing Fund has raised thousands of pounds to help families, individuals and organisations in Brightlingsea. The grants we have been able to give include funding for music lessons, sports equipment, tickets for our local Lido, days out for families, activities for local groups and help for individuals with items to support their wellbeing.”

For more details about WinterFest visit www.brightlingseawinterfest.co.uk or see WinterFest’s page on Facebook.;