New wellness festival launches in West Sussex village to help women ‘press pause’ on the chaos of everyday life

Olakino Together is an all-day wellness festival featuring yoga, sound bath, breathwork, mindful marbling, sauna and an ice bath, as part of a day of rejuvenation and connection.

Other activities include talks, fire pit gatherings, a grazing-style lunch and live music, plus optional taster sessions of reflexology, ancient head massage and reiki.

The festival is the brainchild of friends Katie Bartholomew and Sarah Ritchie, mums with a shared passion for theatre, wellbeing and bringing people together.

Both Shoreham born, they grew up doing theatre together. Katie is now an events planner living in Lindfield and Sarah is a life coach living in Hangleton.

Sarah said: "The idea first sparked after Katie’s hen do, where a calm, nourishing weekend brought women together in a way that felt special. We knew we wanted to share that feeling with more people."

Sarah will be giving a talk on finding clarity and calm amid the chaos, through simple mindset shifts and practical tools. She has recently changed career to become a life coach and now runs Dragonfly Mindset.

Sarah explained: "Following the loss of my sister to cancer last year, I felt a powerful drive to stop waiting and start living with purpose. This inspired a career change into life coaching and the motivation to bring this vision to life.

"With Katie’s events experience and my coaching background, Olakino Together was born – a day for women to leave feeling uplifted and rejuvenated.

"Olakino Together is a vibrant one-day festival designed to help women press pause on the chaos of everyday life and rediscover what makes them feel good – mind, body, and soul."

The festival will be hosted at Innerbloom in Small Dole, near Henfield, on Saturday, June 14, from 10am to 5.30pm. Women of all ages are invited to benefit from uplifting experiences, calming practices and a joyful feeling of togetherness.

A special feature of the day will be transformational DJ and sound artist Liv, providing a varied and inspiring musical backdrop to the day.

Visit www.olakino-together.co.uk or email [email protected] for full details. Festival tickets cost £130 and the optional 30-minute taster sessions cost £25 each.