Fringe By The Sea opens today! Trucks started arriving on Monday to lay rubber matting, arrange yurts for performers, secure the perimeter with Heras fencing and FBTS’s ubiquitous signage and turn a well tended green open space into a vibrant village. The big blue tent is up, and with it signals 10 days of creativity, catching up with friends, enjoying an easy vibe of musical events, workshops, stalls, interviews and chats, and the wide choice of food from a variety of mobile food vendors.
FBTS has grown considerably since its inception in 2009, but some friends and I were reminiscing how we miss the smaller Spiegel tents down at the harbour with their booths, wooden floors, dreadful acoustics and rammy at the bar. There was a guaranteed intimacy when attending concerts, dancing alongside favourite bands because there was only a very small raised stage. However, times change and festival organisers have to accommodate public demand for better and safer venues and facilities. Rules and regulations are there to be adhered to, but can result in a loss of connection between audience and performers, more easily generated in smaller venues. Of course, the big blue tent is a small venue for many of the headline acts: Texas performed in North Berwick in 2022 and at Glastonbury in 2023, but I wonder if Sharleen Spiteri would have been as mindful of the puffling she asked to be rescued in a bigger venue?
During last year’s FBTS, I was uplifted and inspired not only by North Berwick Gospel Choir’s renditions of favourite tunes, but also a sense of inclusion - all ages and levels of mobility were singing joyfully together. I decided to join, not just because I love singing, but because I wanted an excuse to leave my home mid-week and be part of something else. I haven’t been disappointed and especially during the colder, darker months, I leave choir feeling energised and connected. My hope is that when we perform on Tuesday 8th August, it will be an incentive for someone else to become motivated and inspired to participate in a group activity. Making connections over a shared interest or passion, is essential for developing wellbeing. My voice can waver, possibly something to do with partial hearing loss in my left ear, but when I am standing beside fellow choir members, my confidence increases and with it a sense of shared responsibility to give my best. The song choices are varied, but by the time harmonies are added, and familiarity grows, the songs take on a life of their own and sound great.
Two and a half years ago when I established Catching Light Wellness Coaching, I accepted I would be working alone, and I would no longer have daily contact or support from work colleagues. However, it didn’t take long to become acquainted with networking, and I am grateful for the small online communities to which I belong. We meet regularly, buoy each other up with support, supervision and sometimes referrals for potential clients. Change takes time but by showing up consistently, and sometimes a little persistently, I am steadily growing a successful coaching business.
Immersing myself in ongoing professional and personal learning and development comes naturally to me because I have an inquisitive mind. I share my learning, where appropriate, and one of my top tips is to use daily journalling to develop gratitude practice. When I started the daily 5 minute journal 719 days ago, it felt quite samey - repeating myself most days, until I realised that small habits take time, and sometimes need to be repetitive to become effective and sustainable.
Over the past few weeks I have been listening to hypnotherapy sessions from Clear Minds Hypnotherapy to settle my busy brain and to encourage motivation for writing and focus. It is another tool I can refer clients to, if needed, because it is too easy to become distracted with all that is so readily on offer, leading to overthinking which, in turn, can lead to anxiety, making it harder to focus on what needs to be attended to. Left unchecked this becomes a barrier for progression creating an inability to concentrate on moving forward.
Coaching helps to unlock the cycle of overthinking by providing accountability and guidance for making decisions which lead to better understanding of how to activate positive thoughts, habits and intentions.
Coaching with me can keep you on track as you continue on your well-being journey, and if you find yourself making the same mistakes or coming up against the same barriers, coaching might be the very thing to unlock you. You won’t know until you try. A discovery discussion is free and puts you under no obligation whatsoever. I will listen carefully and you can ask questions too. Let me know your budget, and we can agree what works best for you.
**SPECIAL OFFER** is extended to all those who work with young people in schools and community settings - 3 sessions for £150, a massive saving of £135.
Please get in touch, before ** SPECIAL OFFER** finishes on 30th September.
You can find me here: www.catchinglightwellness.co.uk; Twitter @CharliPrime, LinkedIn @CharliPrime, Instagram @catching_light_wellness.
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Charli is an inspirational coach. She listened to me and that helped me think (sometimes babble) my way through things. She encouraged me to consider my options for each issue.
I was really impressed with Charli and found her very competent as a coach. I was initially apprehensive about taking part in online sessions and whether I would find them as effective as face to face sessions. Charli created a safe en
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