A wellness festival boasting outdoor yoga classes, combat sports and guided meditation has teamed up with a Rayleigh taproom to help promote struggling street musicians.

Mani Fest 2024, a new first of its kind wellness festival is teaming up with Rayleigh craft brewery, Crafty Casks, to create a buskers stage at their July 12 event in Shoebury’s Garon Park.

The busker’s stage will aim to help street musicians in Southend and the broader south Essex area get a platform at a time when “it is so hard to get your music out there”.

The festival will offer classes and events for all ages ranging from yoga to jiu jitsu, mediation and a range of activities to help improve peoples health and wellbeing.

Lisa Shrubb, 44, who has founded and organised the event as part of her Yoga Wild Retreats company, believes it can help bring positivity back to Southend.

She said: “We have added our new stage only recently, called the buskers stage and we have gone up to performers in the community who are looking for a place and often do gigs for free to offer them a free spot.

“They can perform for free on our stage at the festival and show their talent and boost their morale, it is so hard out there, and musicians struggle constantly.

“We know people who go from pub to pub for free performing, really trying to get their music out there because it is the only way they can, I am really honoured to be able to be part of this.

“The stage will be a collaboration with Crafty Casks, they do a lot for charity and are the ones who will be sponsoring the stage.

“They do a lot to promote open mic events and have been a really big help with getting this organised, I feel they deserve that promotion.”

Lisa added that the event is doubling down with a focus on men’s mental health, with the event also aiming to raise awareness of the struggles men can face.

“Mental health for all matters but men have been under pressure with issues relating to inflation, rent and a pressure to provide.

“We are trying to raise awareness and help people completely change their mindset.”