DRUMMING, chocolate tasting and acupuncture are among the 'health and wellbeing' activities at a new Oxford festival.

The 'community' event is due to take over Florence Park in East Oxford for two weeks from this Monday.

Organisers say they want to redefine wellbeing and create accessible classes for everyone.

Also read: Kitten found with umbilical cord attached

Among the activities will be a host of health talks and therapies until September 8.

Festival co-founder Laura Hancock, who also runs a yoga business Ayurveda Corner from Jericho Community Centre, said: "The beauty of this project is that we will be steered by the community into how we can best serve them."

The festival, supported by Florence Park's new community hub Flo’s in the Park and local business network Independent Oxford, will include drumming workshops, massage, art, acupuncture, chocolate tasting and ‘healthy fermenting’.

There will also be yoga, fitness coaching, meditation, creative writing, a 'bee awareness talk', dietary talks, life coaching and a young mothers groups.

Some activities and group sessions come with costs and some of the activities are free.

It is part of The Health and Wellbeing Project which is a group of local practitioners and independent businesses looking to ‘redefine the way we look at and engage with wellbeing’.

It aims to create a space at Florence Park to encompass all elements of wellbeing, physical and mental health, as well as 'feel-good activities'.

Read also: Sports Direct opening new shop at Didcot

Joe Jennings, who runs East Oxford acupuncture centre Holistic Health, said: “It is also hugely exciting to have a practitioners' co-operative that will look after us.

“It is so easy to feel isolated as a practitioner. To have the support of the other co-op members and to have a cash surplus that could support us, maybe even give us sick pay, that is game changing.”

The project will be set up as a not-for-profit co-operative for the practitioners, meaning that not only will it meet and respond to the needs of the community, it will also aim to look after the practitioners, with any profit being reinvested to do so.

The festival aims to bring together people from all walks of life.

Visitors can then give feedback on what classes they would like to be set up locally and what wellbeing services they found most useful or enjoyable.

Also read: Middle-aged friends take wild road trip in bizarre new play at Covered Market

Independent Oxford director Rosie Jacobs said: “We are really excited to support this project to make wellbeing accessible to more people in Oxford, and create a hub to support a wide range of indie businesses and practitioners striving to make our local community stronger and happier.”

As a supporter of the event, Independent Oxford explains online that it is ‘project that supports, promotes and champions the independent businesses of Oxfordshire’.

It was set up three years ago to help raise the profile of independent businesses, bars, restaurants, shops, accommodation and more.

All details of festival workshops, therapies, and classes can be found online, alongside the times and prices.

Go online to independentoxford.com/workshops