Whitehaven's Health and Wellbeing Festival has been a resounding success, drawing in around 2,200 visitors from across Cumberland.

The festival, led by Cumberland Council, took place on Friday, August 4, at the Recreation Ground on Coach Road.

The event offered free family entertainment and access to essential wellbeing services.

Fifty organisations, including Cumberland Council's Social Prescribing team, joined forces to provide advice, guidance, and activities aimed at improving individuals' health and wellbeing.

Visitors were offered assistance with various issues such as loneliness, housing, financial hardship, benefits, and welfare.

Emergency services were also present, offering popular interactive sessions on fire safety and emergency first aid.

Visitors were also treated to pet therapy, bouncy castles, trampolines, face painting, exercise sessions, a climbing wall, tale trails, and a colour run.

The event featured captivating performances from a dance academy, acrobats, a magician, and a DJ.

Cllr Lisa Brown, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Governance and Thriving Communities, said: "I am truly thrilled by the overwhelming response and positive outcomes of this event. It's amazing that more than 2,000 people enjoyed the day and I’m sure everyone is already looking forward to next year.

“It highlights the essential role of social prescribing in our community and the transformative impact it has on individuals' lives.

“We remain committed to furthering the reach of events like this as we continue our commitment to have health and wellbeing at the heart of everything we do as Cumberland Council."

The festival was sponsored by the Box Encapsulation Plant (BEP) project at Sellafield and received support from other funders and partners, including Rosehill Theatre, Copeland Community Fund, Well Whitehaven, and Copeland Wellness Service.

Catherine Melvin, Project Wellbeing Advisor at BEP, said: “The relationship that has been formed between the BEP and social prescribing team has had such a positive effect on the community.

“Seeing so many people connect with services has really brought home the importance of the work that the team does.

“We look forward to growing this relationship further, in the future, so that we can help more people in the community.”

Festival-goers are encouraged to provide feedback by visiting https://forms.office.com/e/4F7sNTZMEt.