BRIGHTLINGSEA WinterFest has been a ray of light peeking out from otherwise dark and moody corners of the small seaside town since 2015.

When Alix Sheppard and Dave Griffiths launched the event, the reasons were painfully clear in their hearts and minds - a suicide which shook Alix’s world.

But it has purposefully taken on a new meaning which encompasses the varying severity people feel affected by their mental health.

It is a better fit for Alix, 42, who has chosen WinterFest to stand for mental wellbeing - an umbrella term everyone can relate to.

She said: “The high occurrence of suicide means the problem hasn’t gone away, but it doesn’t have to be something as dramatic as suicide that can have a massive effect on people’s lives.

“It can be low mood, depression, anxiety - these can can have a huge impact on individuals and loneliness too.

“Winter in a particularly small community means loneliness can be a big issue.

“The festival can be that warm place filled with friendly faces.”

Venues across Brightlingsea are filled with just that for four weekends, starting February 1 with an electro folk night at Ye Olde Swan.

Creative arts, comedy and music in large doses is still the magnet attracting visitors but this year, new additions to the programme should appeal more to families and older people.

Music by Candlelight at St James Church, on February 9, and the Family Wellbeing and Fun Day the following Saturday are two examples of events being held in more neutral territory.

Alix said: “Myself and Dave felt last year it was becoming too pub orientated.

“There had always been good attendance at family events but we wanted to make it more accessible to groups who wouldn’t necessarily want to visit a pub, and for people to bring their grandchildren so it’s more multi-generational.

“The Brightlingsea Museum open weekend is going to be lovely, as is the Oo La La Quintet.

“For the film night on February 23 we’re showing Searching for Sugar Man.

“It’s an amazing documentary about a reclusive character and musician who never became famous in the US, but it turned out he was a superstar, almost with God-like status, in South Africa.”

The other major change is the launch of the Winterfest Wellbeing Fund, enabling 80 per cent of the events’ profits to be “recycled” in Brightlingsea.

Families can apply for up to £200 to fund activities connected to wellbeing they otherwise might not be able to afford.

She said: “It was my idea. As a public health specialist I’m always looking at ways the community can take ownership of various projects.

“The festival’s legacy as a result of this fund would be that the community can get involved with more activities outside of the event dates.

“Applications open in April and the remaining 20 per cent of profits will still be donated to Mid and North East Essex Mind.”

A remarkable £20,000-plus has been donated to the independent charity to date. It also experienced a rise in referrals having had a stall at last year’s instalment.

This, and how the festival continues to grow, was a legacy Alix never anticipated.

She said: “Each year we swear we’re not going to do it again because it’s such an incredible undertaking. It’s real blood, sweat and tears.”

“We want to keep WinterFest true to its original aims and continue to involve people in the arts because of the well-known effects it has on mental wellbeing, while also giving people the opportunity to talk about mental health so it’s not such a taboo subject.

“In the middle of winter and a freezing cold seaside town, anything that makes you feel good is a positive.”

Despite how widely spoken about mental health is, the perceived need and support for WinterFest has not waned, Alix said. In fact the opposite is true.

Brightlingsea has taken WinterFest under its wing and for that, Alix realises how “incredibly lucky” she is.

She said: “It would be simply impossible to run it without the generosity of our volunteers.”

Next year the WinterFest needs a corporate sponsor.

Click here to enquire and for the full programme.