Birmingham’s leading retail and leisure destination last week held its inaugural event for 2024; Bullring presents Find Your Happier. The event took place from 26-28 January and saw hundreds of people attend a range of free talks, workshops, and activities to help visitors to the infamous shopping centre grab happiness by the horns. From a fireside chat all about mental health with Dr Alex George, to financial education sessions and a HIIT session with PT to the stars, Woz LDN, the weekend was jam-packed with something for everyone.
The first-of-its-kind event saw Bullring partner with Holland & Barrett to bring an impressive line-up of influencers and wellness experts to attendees young and old, male and female. In a bid to encourage people to find their happier, each day featured sessions dedicated to developing a better life, body and mind, all free of charge.
Kickstarting the weekend, Friday 26th spoke to key themes such as mental health, financial wellbeing, and sustainability. The day started with a Q&A between Dr Alex George and Heart FM’s Ed James, inviting people to ‘Join the mental health movement’. A fervent campaigner and advocate for mental health support, Dr Alex shared his personal wellbeing journey, as well as how people can boost their own mental wellbeing.
In addition to Dr Alex’s talks, Friday featured a session all about developing a money mindset and future-proofing your finances with financial advisor and author of ‘Get Your Money Right’, Emmanuel Asuquo (aka @theemaneffectuk); key insights on raising a sustainable family and ditching fast fashion with Karen Maurice (@n4mummy); and a ‘drop-in and de-stress’ pop-up from Birmingham Mind, with mindfulness activities and expert mental health support on-hand.
Saturday 27th was all about movement, food, and body positivity. Helping visitors limber up for the day was local trainer KB Fitness, after which the Curve Catwalk called on all dancing divas to embrace their curves and dance their way to confidence. To round off the day, Woz LDN, Just Gina and Shaq 5 DJ joined forces to get Saturday shoppers sweating with their high energy HIIT class.
Taking it slow on Sunday, the 28th featured workshops and events dedicated to wellness, mindfulness, and pregnancy. From sound baths, Tai Chi, breathwork and meditation by Birmingham Sound School, to educational sessions on how to live fearlessly with Nik and Eva Speakman, to inclusive yoga classes with Donna Noble, founder of Curvesomeyoga, shoppers could expect to find serenity in abundance.
Look back on the event, Bullring & Grand Central’s Marketing Manager, Danielle Bozward, commented:
“The new year always starts with a collective hum of “new year, new me”, but whether it is people wanting to overhaul their health, learn new skills, get their finances into gear or start a family, it can be really hard to know where to start. Find Your Happier was almost the solution to that problem; a three-day festival dedicated to helping people learn more about their mind, body and soul.
“As this was the first ‘Find Your Happier’ event, we took a leap of faith: we knew this event was needed, but we didn’t know how popular it would be. However, I think I can speak for the entire team when I say we were overwhelmed by the response; so many people shook off their fears and anxieties and just got stuck in, it was really amazing to see the collective positive spirit.
“The sense of community and connection was exactly what we hoped to achieve, and I think really encourage everyone to open up!”
For more information about upcoming Bullring events, visit the official Bullring events page.
