Essex Pizza Festival raises £1,000 for SECE Mind
The first ever Essex Pizza Festival brought together pizza lovers, families and local businesses in Old Leigh on Saturday 8 August – and we're delighted that it raised £1,000 for South East and Central Essex Mind.
The new annual festival celebrates independent pizza businesses from across the region, with the inaugural event offering a full day of food, entertainment and community.
Visitors enjoyed plenty of pizza alongside guest DJs, live performers, workshops, competitions and a dedicated kids' zone. There were also awards across four categories: People's Choice, Judges' Choice, Best Margherita and Best Special.
But while pizza was at the heart of the festival, the day was about much more than food. Community was a big part of the event, with Essex Pizza Festival choosing SECE Mind as its charity partner for its first ever festival.
Pizza Essentials gives back
Pizza Essentials was one of the businesses supporting the festival, bringing their food truck along for the day.
Rather than simply donating a percentage of their takings, Pizza Essentials donated the proceeds they would have made on the day directly to SECE Mind. This meant that members of the public were able to support our charity simply by enjoying some great pizza.
Their contribution formed part of the £1,000 raised so far, with Essex Pizza Festival organiser Craig continuing to fundraise following the event, meaning the final total could grow even further.
The money raised will support our Olivia's Hub campaign, which forms part of SECE Mind's 60th anniversary fundraising efforts.
Olivia's Hub aims to create a lasting legacy by providing a warm, accessible community space where people can find support, connection and guidance when they need it most.
Bringing people together
“We were absolutely delighted to be chosen as the charity partner for the very first Essex Pizza Festival. It was fantastic to see the event bring people together in Old Leigh, not just to enjoy some incredible local pizza, but to be part of something that was genuinely supporting the community.
Mental health is something that affects all of us in some way, and events like this give us an opportunity to bring conversations about mental health into everyday community spaces. Sometimes it’s as simple as coming together, enjoying good food and knowing that your contribution is helping someone else.
The £1,000 raised so far is an incredible start, and knowing that Craig is continuing to fundraise means we hope that figure will grow even further. Every pound will help us with our Olivia’s Hub campaign and our ambition to create a lasting legacy where people can find connection, support and hope when they need it most.
We are incredibly grateful to Craig and the Essex Pizza Festival team, Pizza Essentials, all of the businesses involved, the volunteers and, most importantly, everyone who came along and donated. As a small independent local charity, partnerships like this make a huge difference to the work we can do in our communities”
“’We chose SECE Mind because mental health is something very close to my heart. I’ve experienced my own mental health tussles since my teens and I know how important it is to seek support, whether that’s speaking with family and friends or seeking professional help.
The whole idea behind Essex Pizza Festival is bringing our community together over great pizza, so to be able to do that while raising money for such a worthwhile cause made it even more special. Seeing everyone get behind it - from the businesses and volunteers to every single person who came along and donated - was amazing.
“We plan to keep supporting SECE Mind and finding ways to raise more money and awareness in the future
”
A huge thank you to Craig, the Essex Pizza Festival team, Pizza Essentials, all the participating businesses and volunteers, and everyone who came along and supported the event.
£1,000 has already been raised, and we're excited to see how much more we can raise together.