Sportsman walks 100 miles in 5 days for mental health
A SPORTSMAN from Kidwelly has walked 100 miles in five days, all in the name of mental health.
Stuart Jones, who is secretary of the town’s football club, set himself the challenge and raised money for Pembrokeshire mental health organisation Get The Boys A Lift, which since 2016 has aimed to break down barriers and get more people talking about mental health.
Get The Boys A Lift has a base in Haverfordwest and has a coffee and retail store, with profits being ploughed back in to support services available within the premises, as well as being available on a drop-in basis to people of the community.
Effectively it bridges the support between people accessing support for the first time and professional services.
Stuart said he wanted to raise as much money as he could during his fiveday walking challenge and has so far raised more than £1,600.
The fundraising window will remain open for the coming weeks.
He said: “Kidwelly AFC has been supported by the charity and so I wanted to do as much as possible.
“Especially also due to Covid-19 it’s been a struggle for the charity, like many others during the pandemic.”
Stuart, 46, added: “Many a time young people take their own lives due to mental health issues.
“Its devastating in every aspect for family and friends alike to lose a loved one, wishing that person had called out for help and wishing they could have helped in some way.
“Mental health issues can be very isolating, people feel very alone and sometimes think no one can help or will understand.
“Not everyone finds it easy to talk about how they are feeling, not everyone knows how to reach out for help.
“I have seen how mental health issues have affected people in my life and help hasn’t always come along in time.
“I know in particular that men find it difficult to talk about their problems, which can have devastating consequences.”
For his challenge Stuart walked 20 miles a day along the coastal path to Llanelli and back to Kidwelly.
He was even sent videos of encouragement and to help promote his fundraising by top footballers, including former Swansea City player John Williams, ex-Wales international goalkeeper Paul Jones, and because Stuart is an Everton fan the club sent him a video of former striker and current club ambassador Graeme Sharp.
■ Anyone still wishing to donate to Stuart’s fundraising can visit his JustGiving page at https:// www.justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/ qejonesmammothwalk