Firstly, I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to read this. I’ve aimed to do this for a long time, but never quite got there!

I have finally been able to make my idea come to life, and I’m very grateful for that.

My idea for Mind Fest came around after the passing of someone very close to us during COVID-19, he had battled with his mental health, and unfortunately, due to this, passed away on May 28th 2020.

Since then I have had to see other friends and family members struggle with loosing a loved one or suffering with mental health themselves and it makes me so sad, angry and confused that this is still continuing.

During my time of grief , I had a lot of support from Mind, I attended their support groups, 1:1 sessions and made many friends along the way. This was the only place I could go where I didn’t feel I had to put on a brave face, and I was always welcomed and comforted by those around me - I want more people to know about these facilities and be able to access them.

There are more than 720,000 people who unfortunately pass away due to their mental health each year, that is nearly 14,000 a week - this is something I want to help change.

With your help, we can raise money to

create better facilities, programmes, and a safe space where people struggling can attend. I chose both Mind and Samaritans due to their hard work and dedication to providing support and care to those struggling.

It costs nothing to be kind and this is why I want to create a day where people can not only receive information and support if needed, but also where they can forget their worries, stress and enjoy a day full of music, laughter and fun.

I'm sure together, we will make this an event that people won’t forget and hopefully, something that can be continued in the future

All donations from this Go fund me and MindFest event will be split equally between both between Herts Mind Network & Samaratins.

Thank you for any support and donations!

In memory of Chris Jones & Michael Angus