A free yoga festival held earlier this month at Yoga Studio Ely raised an amazing £976 for the local mental health charity CPSL Mind.

The event was a great success and attended by several hundred local people. The day was full of different yoga classes for everyone to try. There were stalls of delicious food as well as an opportunity for people to experience henna art. In the afternoon there was yoga for kids, followed by games and a picnic in the orchard. The highlight of the event was an Odissi dance performance by Maryam Shakiba, which was truly spectacular.

Mark Stevens, owner of Yoga Studio Ely said, “It was such an amazing day, we had so many visitors through our doors.  New and old faces sharing Yoga, friendship and good vibes together. Thank you to everyone who generously donated in support of CPSL Mind.  Thank you and Om Shanti to all the studio teachers and Karma Yogis for helping the day run so smoothly, to Maryam Shakiba for our festival highlight – Odissi Dance performance and for drawing the raffle, to all the stall holders and all those who donated prizes to our raffle”.

Zoe Doherty, Fundraiser for CPSL Mind said, “What an amazing day. So many people came to take part and yoga is such fantastic activity to improve wellbeing and relaxation. A massive thank you to Mark and Bianca for organising such a varied all-age event and to everyone who donated. This donation will be used to support vital services which help local people in their recovering from mental health problems.”