The Feel Good felt great

Feel Good Festival 2009

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The Feel Good Festival “felt great” said one visitor to what has to be the most successful event in town for very many years. The two day festival attracted thousands of visitors to the town centre, including plenty from surrounding towns as well as the indigenous population.

Saturday was ‘music day’ and spectacular the music was (see reviews) but there was lots more going on from cookery demonstrations, to circus workshops, street theatre, food and drink stalls, rides for children and even holistic therapy for stressed adults courtesy of True Serenity Holistic Centre.

Saturday kicked off with a cookery demonstration by celebrity chef Aldo Zilli who, as well as providing excellent cooking tips, thoroughly entertained the audience with his amusing ‘life story’ and anecdotes. Colourful local chef Aazam Ahmad dazzled with a further cookery demonstration. Margaret Woods commented: “What a great event! The town centre was buzzing. I attended a couple of the cookery demonstrations with Aazam - what a character and a brilliant personality. He certainly loves Rochdale and is a great ambassador for us.”

Out on the ‘street’ there was plenty going on, with Skylight Circus tripping the high wire along with a trapeze workshop – there can be little doubt from the reaction that Skylight will have a lot of new aspiring youngsters beating a path to their door.

Street theatre artists mingled amongst the crowds browsing the stalls and helped create a real carnival atmosphere.

Alison Unwin ventured into town with her children for what she thought would be a quick hour and ended up staying all afternoon, she said: “We enjoyed the afternoon immensely. We sampled several food stuffs, and watched the cooking exhibitions with interest (both children love cooking). They spent a fair bit of my hard earned on the rides and games! The street artists were great, I loved the zany lollipop ladies, they caused a fair bit of amusement.

Sophie Nelson and Cathy McFadden were amongst the visitors from out of town and they were thoroughly captivated, so much they were proudly sporting their I LOVE ROCHDALE bags – a simple but brilliant idea that captured a lot of people’s imagination. Sophie, obligingly holding her bag aloft for our photographer, said of Rochdale: “I love it!”

The town’s politicians were out in force but our reporters resisted the temptation to allow them to use the festival as a soap box (though it didn’t stop the Lib Dems using the event to distribute political propaganda) concentrating instead on what was quite rightly the people’s festival.

There can be no argument the festival was a huge success and great credit must go to the organisers and the people whose vision the festival was. May it be bigger and even better next year – a sentiment shared by very many in Feel Good Rochdale this weekend.

Final word to a person who worked very hard to ensure the festival happened, Suzy Woods of Rochdale Town Centre Management; talking to Rochdale Online, Miss Woods said: The festival has been a success beyond expectation. There has been a terrific fun atmosphere both days and the music has been sensational.

"It has been much busier than last year. Hopefully we can build on this and attract more people to the town centre more often.”