Organisers of the Aberdeen Health and Wellbeing Festival are celebrating what they are calling their most successful event yet, after over 1,600 people registered to attend the festival at The Beach Ballroom on Saturday 13th January.
The event, which was completely free to attend thanks to support from Main Sponsor SLB, and supporting sponsors Ledingham Chalmers, Mearns & Gill, and Phyte Club, brought together health and wellbeing professionals and businesses from across the North East. The festival was created by Dr. Emma Windle and Sarah Stewart, with the purpose of educating, inspiring, and motivating the people of the North East into trying new ways to live a healthier lifestyle, by bringing together experts and services together under one roof.
Tom and Luke Stoltman, better known as The Stoltman Brothers, The World’s Strongest Brothers, attracted additional crowds. Their participation in two panel discussions on mental health and wellbeing, and men’s health, along with Luke joining over seventy people in a cold-water dip, helped to ensure that the event was the busiest since its launch in 2019.
Attendees were able to talk to over sixty different businesses and charities from across the North East, sample and buy their products, and test out a range of health and wellbeing techniques and innovations. Stalls ranged from chiropractors to crystal therapy, and from CBD Oil to local counselling and support services.
The event also included a full day of interactive seminars, covering everything from children’s wellbeing to food and nutrition, and a series of workshops that included yoga, pilates, strength training and brain health, to name only a few.
Emma Windle, Co-founder of the Aberdeen Health and Wellbeing Festival said: “Sarah and I are delighted with the success of this year’s festival. There were some really interesting and inspiring discussions being had around health and wellbeing and it was great to see so many people take an interest the local health and wellbeing community. We would like to take this opportunity to thank every person and business who gave their support to this year’s event, by sponsoring, speaking or taking a stall, and of course thank you to the people of the North East who decided to join us.”
Marie-Isabelle, Health and Wellbeing Manager, SLB said: “I am so glad that SLB had the opportunity to support this event. It is a topic in which we truly believe. Over the past few years, we have actively been engaging our employees on Health and Wellbeing and we firmly believe it is our corporate responsibility to promote awareness on this topic within our organisation and communities. Together, we can create greater impact. We are all part of the solution, and for a more balanced planet, we need balanced people. It starts with awareness of the challenges we collectively face in an ever-changing and uncertain world.”
Jennifer Young, Managing Partner, Ledingham Chalmers, said: “We were really pleased to see so many people at the Aberdeen Health and Wellbeing Festival. It was important for us to support this event that aligned closely with our firm’s core values (treat others well, give something back, one team), as well as the work of our wellbeing group which was set up to support colleagues’ physical and mental health.”
Mike Wilson, Managing Director of Mearns & Gill, who helped to organise this year’s event said “This has been an extremely rewarding event to partner on, co-founders Emma and Sarah have been brilliant to work with. Their passion and enthusiasm for the health and wellbeing community is infectious and is the heart of the event. There is a clear need for an event like this, and we were delighted to help them grow and develop the festival for 2024. Suffice to say we are already looking forward to planning next year’s event with them!”
For anyone who could not attend this year, organisers have recorded the audio from each of the panel sessions, and these will soon be available to download from the website in the coming days. To listen to these, or to be kept up to date with the plans for next year’s festival, head to www.abdnhealthandwellbeingfest.com