Cover - Viva Lewes

Lewes WellBeing Fest
Organiser Claire Kirtland on the multifarious benefits of the Lewes
WellBeing Fest, about to celebrate its third edition.
What is the Lewes WellBeing Fest all about?
We all make New Year’s resolutions, especially after
the excesses of the holiday period. But how long do
we keep them up? Sometimes we need help to achieve
betterment, whether we’re talking about physical fitness
or spiritual health. The WellBeing Fest brings together
all sorts of experts in all sorts of fields, whether
you want to give up smoking, take up doing Pilates or
find out which dance class is perfect for you. There
will be scores of stallholders offering advice and information.
Add to this free taster massages, wonderful
vegetarian food and some top entertainers on show,
and you’ll understand why over two thousand people
visited us last year.
Why Lewes?
The people of this town are famously open-minded
and this has led to a number of alternative as well as
mainstream wellbeing practitioners to set up in Lewes,
from acupuncturists to Zen counsellors. They dedicate
their working lives to supporting and helping people
to lead more balanced, wholesome lives and this festival
gives them a platform to promote their products
and services.
How did it all start up?
I took part in a health day which was held at Lewes
Town Hall a couple of years ago and decided that I
could do something very similar on a grand scale. I
went to Rita Eccles, a local Bowen Therapist who had
organised it, and she was happy for me to take on the
project and make it my own.
What kind of things can we expect to see or
experience?
You will be able to find out more about an eclectic
mix of traditional and contemporary therapies including
life coaching, homeopathy, massage, emotional
freedom technique, meta-medicine and neuro-linguistic
programming. We are also showcasing stage
demonstrations, including Nia Technique, Tai Chi
and Pilates. There will be talks on topics ranging from
prosperity and shamanism to druidry and finding your
perfect career path. You can also try out a range of
organic vegetarian cuisine and delicious juices. Plus
there are entertainers, including the guitarist Geoff
Robb, who you might have seen perform recently at
the Lewes Guitar Festival, and the children’s performer
Mr Pineapple Head.
What happened last year?
We built on the success of the 2006 festival, and extended
the timescale to include Sunday as well as Saturday.
It was a great success, and so far we have seen
over 3,000 visitors come through our doors. Not many
of them have left without finding something to inspire
them. V
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Photograph: Katie Moorman
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