A youth wellbeing and suicide prevention charity based in the heart of Bicester hosted its third annual event at the weekend.

The BeNice Festival took place at Garth Park in Bicester on Saturday, July 6. 

The event was free entry, starting at 1pm and ending at 10pm.

The charity which runs the event, Nai’s House, offers a comprehensive range of services, resources, and a compassionate community network to help those navigating difficult times.

The festival is the charity's way of saying thank you to the local and wider community for their "continued support and generosity" and aims for visitors to have fun, try new things and spend time making happy memories with friends and family. 

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Founder of Nai's House, Gem Barrett, said she was "pretty pleased" with the turnout "despite the weather and football".

She said: "Around 800 people in total turned up throughout the day - it was great to see all our hard work come alive. 

She also said a "massive thank you" to the sponsors of the event, which were Cridlands Estate Agents, NEU Oxfordshire, Graven Hill and Bakels, as well as the local businesses and organisations who donated raffle prizes.

She also thanked the stall holders, the artists and performers, food vendors, MKM Supplies, everyone who attended the event and the Nai's House team for "planning, preparing, organising and delivering the festival".

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Ms Barrett also apologised for it "not going quite as planned due to weather and safety concerns".

Bicester ECU All Star Cheerleading and Elite Dance performers were unable to perform as planned because the ground was too wet to perform and there were concerns that they may have slipped and injured themselves.

This was also the case for the archery and bouncy castle. 

Nai's House, which opened in September 2019, hosted it's first BeNice Festival in 2022, and it is now an annual event. 

Ms Barrett has confirmed that there will be another event next year.

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The charity was set up by Ms Barrett and Emma Chamberlain after the suicide of Ms Barrett’s 22-year-old daughter, Dené (Nai) in February 2017. 

The charity aims to reduce suicide, self harm and poor emotional and mental wellbeing in under 30’s by providing suicide prevention and holistic mental health support to offer life saving skills and strategies for now and the future, an increased sense of self and improved quality of life.

It states that “young people are at the heart of what we do and our ultimate our aim is to contribute to a reduction in the numbers of death by suicide”.