Craic’d Festival: Kilkenny comes together for World Mental Health Day

By COLIN BARTLEY

A festival promoting positive mental health being held to coincide with World Mental Health Awareness Day is being held in Kilkenny this weekend.

Craic’d – letting the Light In, Lifelinkk‘s festival is a collaborative project and is a celebration of positive mental health. The festival and awareness programme takes place in Kilkenny city and county and runs until this Sunday.

The festival which provides information, entertainment, exercise and chat, focuses on wellness and openness. The hub for the duration of the festival is Market Cross Shopping Centre, which will host talks and events and provide all the information about the festival.

Some of the highlights of the festival include The ‘Beat Your Own Drum’ youth project, Sundays Family Fun Day ‘A Craicing Good Day’ at The Old Auxiliary Hospital on Wolfe Tone Street, a zen café, and afternoon tea dance and much much more.

The festival is being supported by the HSE, Teac Tom, The Drum Youth Centre, St Canice’s Neighbourhood Hall, Kilkenny Leader Partnership, Kilkenny Community Movement, Connecting for Life Kilkenny, Family Carers Ireland, Samaritans, Market Cross Shopping Centre, Ossory Youth, Recovery College South East, Natural Health Store, Insight Natural Healing Centre, T.A.S.K, and the Irish Men’s Sheds Association.

World Mental Health Day takes place each year globally on October 10 and celebrates positive mental health, while promoting organisations that offer solutions to those who need support.

Lifelinkk is an umbrella group for all organisations in County Kilkenny, State, Voluntary and Community, with a mental health remit aimed at building relationships between the community and statutory organisations.

For a  full programme of events for the Craic’d festival, click here