A FREE community event filled with music, food and workshops will be held at Lexton Community Hub this October.<\/p>\n
Pyrenees Connection is inspired by the success of Pyrenees Hideout Festival earlier this year and aims to celebrate the region’s resilience when faced with floods and bushfires, and draw attention to mental health.<\/p>\n
Bill Chambers, Marcus Cassells, and the BAHA Collective will be performing along with The Long and Short of It, deborahN, Brendan Scott, and Sarah Catania.<\/p>\n
There will also be guitar playing, music writing and arts and crafts workshops on offer as well as a dedicated youth stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe focus of the day is activities and it\u2019s really focused on mental health and building resilience with a number of workshops abouts arts and music and mental health,\u201d said Loretta Aguis, event manager.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a follow up from the Hideout Festival earlier this year and as part of the festival we raised funds for rural and regional mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group received a grant for flood impacted events from the State Government which has helped them fund the festival.<\/p>\n
Mental health services are the chosen beneficiary due to the lack of psychological support in rural areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur festival manager during COVID really felt isolated in a rural community and didn\u2019t know where to turn,\u201d said Ms Aguis.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we decided to put on a festival, he really wanted to support rural mental health services.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is so much of a disparity between rural mental health and mental health services in capital cities, so we really wanted to create a discussion in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n