Workshops now open for the Quirky Creative and Wellness Festival

August 29, 2014

Workshops are now open for The Quirky Creative and Wellness Festival which runs from October 4 to 11.

Visit Quirky website for full information

There are over 30 workshops available across the shire with more to come in the next week. The workshops on offer include arts and crafts in the widest sense, workshops to boost your mind, body and soul, as well as talks and seminars dealing with stress, mental health and wellbeing.

With a vast array of workshops on offer from millinery to Origami and Yoga to healthy eating, the festival presents a great opportunity to learn new skills, discover your inner creative genius or find inner peace with activities that appeal to all ages.

While there are some great creative activities, there are also some serious and potentially life-saving seminars such as SCARF training on offer in six (6) locations throughout the shire.

SCARF is an initiative of Farm-Link and is a wellbeing and suicide prevention education program for community members. SCARF stands for (S…suspect C…connect A… ask R…refer F…follow-up).

The aim of this Community Education version of the SCARF program is to deliver unique quality training in suicide prevention, with a strong focus on health and well-being.

It is an interactive presentation and comments are encouraged throughout the training as the hope is for participants to gain new knowledge and skills in mental health and suicide prevention.

The festival kicks off on Saturday October 4 at Cranky Rock with a family friendly concert featuring Brian Cadd and Indigenous artist Rodger Knox, and will be a sensational start to a week of feel good fun.

Other connected events will include exhibitions throughout the Council area, men’s health nights and a Gala Day on Sunday 11 October at the Ceramic Break Sculpture Park between Warialda and Bingara, where there will be artist markets, wellbeing stands and entertainment.

The focus of the festival is to showcase and celebrate local arts and artists, and provide access to new and exciting creative experiences while raising community awareness about mental health issues.

The festival will also promote social and emotional wellbeing to the community, encouraging people to maximise their health potential, enhance the coping capacity of communities, families and individuals and increase mental health recovery.

The festival has been made possible by a partnership between Gwydir Shire Council, The Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW, Carers NSW, Anglicare Northern Inland, with generous donations by The Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW and Carers NSW.

The aim of the funding is to raise awareness of mental health issues, implement measures such as training for suicide prevention (particularly as the Shire faces one of the worst droughts in history), and give people in the Gwydir Shire access to referral services that can provide counselling, support and advocacy.

To register for a workshop visit the festival website:  www.gwydirshire.com/quirkyfestival/