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Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Roscommon gears up for Lough Key's Night and Day Festival featuring music and relaxation
Home > Regionals > Roscommon > News Night and Day Festival returns to Lough Key Forest and Activity Park in County Roscommon between June 27 and June 29 Lough Key, County Roscommon, will again be the venue for the Night and Day Festival in County Roscommon Headlined by artists like Paul Brady, The Wailers, The Stunning, Lisa Hannigan, Sultans of Ping, José González, KT Tunstall, Adwaith and Fionn Regan, the popular outdoor musical festival is set to draw large crowds to Lough Key Forest and Activity Park in County Roscommon between June 27 and June 29. Organised and co-founded by Mayo native Craig Hughes, Political Editor for the Irish Daily Mail, the festival is promoted as part of Roscommon's outdoor recreation campaign, 'Breathe in Roscommon'. The Night and Day Festival also offers a variety of family-friendly activities including dance workshops, kids' yoga, circus skills, nature foraging, ancient games and craft making. The festival has built a new wellness area near the Lough Key Forest and Activity Park that will host morning yoga classes, reiki sessions and saunas for attendees. 'This year we have really enhanced our wellness offering so festivalgoers can reconnect with nature in the morning while dancing to great music in the afternoon,' said festival co-founder, Craig Hughes. Lough Key Forest and Activity Park, which offers zip-lining courses, boat tours, kayaking, and forest trails, will remain open to the public during the festival. The inaugural Night and Day Festival took place in September 2022 at Clonalis House in Castlerea. It moved to its present venue in Lough Key Forest Park the following year. Roscommon Tourism Officer Lisa Joy said festival celebrates Roscommon's 'unique heritage, arts and culture as well as its scenic outdoor offerings that can be enjoyed by people of all ages'. 'We anticipate the Night and Day Festival to not just raise awareness about the county's forest trails and lakeside adventures but also inspire people to slow down, explore the landscapes and truly breathe in Roscommon,' Ms Joy added. The Night and Day Festival is an over-20s event but Children under 14 can attend once accompanied by a parent or guardian with a child's ticket. Camping options include a campsite with water stations and showers to ensure comfort throughout the weekend. For more information on activities and festival details, visit:
BBC News
17-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Telford office supplies company still recovering after lockdown
An office supplies company said it is still recovering from the coronavirus lockdown - despite benefitting from people having to work from home at that based in Telford, sells office goods from desks and chairs to stationery - but all that ground to a halt in March 2020 when millions of workers were told to work from home. Craig Hughes is a partner at the company alongside his brother Richard, after their father founded Chrisbeon in described the coronavirus lockdown as "the biggest cultural change for workplaces since World War Two". Mr Hughes said lockdown "effectively stopped his business overnight," but the company quickly realised "people would need a small desk and chair for working from their spare bedroom.""We did have an opportunity, but what we didn't have was a supply chain." Work 'turned on its head' Mr Hughes noted that "everybody thinks [lockdown] was a massive boom for us," but the business still faced challenges."Where customers would normally order 90 chairs to one site - their offices - they were ordering 90 chairs to 90 individuals' homes," he said."The logistics and the way that we worked had to turn on its head overnight." Over the past five years, as lockdown restrictions were lifted, Chrisbeon has celebrated its 50th anniversary - but Mr Hughes said the industry is still recovering."Some parts came back very, very quickly - other parts have only really in the past six to 12 months come back to some semblance of normality," he said. The lead times for manufacturing is still slower than it was before the pandemic, Mr Hughes said."We're still not back to exactly pre-Covid, but the way businesses are responding and planning for the future is more like pre-Covid times." But the most significant difference post-lockdown is how companies want to set up their offices, Mr Hughes said."Most of our customers, after lockdown, came back to their premises, looked at their offices and probably thought they were a little dull and boring."Mr Hughes said having plants and greenery in workplaces was also becoming more popular. "People are asking 'how can we soften the office, and make it a bit more engaging?'"It's a lot more open and friendly - and just a bit more interesting." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
