Headfest 2024 (Friday 25 October)

Good mental health advice, resources and support available across the county will be under one roof this Friday when a wellbeing event comes to campus.

University of Northampton (UON) is a staunch supporter of good mental health. UON staff have been on-hand at previous BBC Northamptonshire Headfest events to talk with visitors or provide workshops.

This year is the third annual Headfest event and will be an interactive expo spread over two days, supported by UON and Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust.

The first day (Monday 21 October) was for children and young people from invited local schools. They had the chance to have yoga and sports classes, calm themselves by petting therapy dogs and gain insight into improving their mental health and wellbeing with poet and good mental health advocate Quinton Milise.

Some had outdoor learning workshops in the University’s new Forest School that opened in the spring.

The second day of the expo will be on Friday 25 October (10am-3pm). Open to all, visitors will have the chance to ‘have a go’ at various activities that will help them explore good mental health advice and support in its many forms.

Visitors can talk to a psychiatrist, find out more about menopause, and even have a go at crafts such as crocheting and origami.

Luke Young, author of Against the Current, will talk about the impact the internet had on his mental health and why he took himself off social media for a year. Sessions will run throughout the day; please check the schedule on the main counter on the day.

There will be peaceful, safe space if visitors feel overwhelmed or overstimulated.