Party on for opening of pathway

It was aimed at young people who had experienced mental health issues and were comfortable with talking about it, Lanfear, 23, said.

She went through anxiety and depression after she suffered a sporting injury.

‘‘From my experience it was hard to get help. I had to go around several practitioners before I could find the right help. What may work for one may not work for another.’’

Lanfear’s POD project was a web series that she ran on her YouTube channel, she said.

‘‘It was a project that ran over a month. I set myself a challenge of asking myself a mindful question each day to keep track of my mental health.’’

The Mindful Minute Pro- gramme got between 50 and 100 views a day, for the 31 days it ran, she said.

‘‘It’s for someone maybe going through mental health issues themselves or someone who wants to keep track of their mental health for a given period of time.’’

POD runs from June to December and by the end of the project Lanfear wanted to have a book created that goes along with her videos, she said.

‘‘It will have 31 questions and space for people to answer questions and a tie in element of why the questions are important. I’m trying to use this awareness project as a preventive measure before people get unwell or get to that point of mental distress. It’s all about mental wellness.’’

Lanfear was now thinking of ways to expand the project, she said. ‘‘I want to help young people find a way of supporting themselves or to provide them an olive branch of hope that there are other people out there experiencing this themselves.’’

She is now trying to let people know what her project is about, is finishing the POD programme and

trying to find people in Taranaki who may want to offer assistance, through knowledge about mental health, mentoring in a business sense or even funding for the project, she said.

Lanfear came runner up in the Taranaki regional final of the AMP Scholarship with her proposal for her Mindful Minute Programme. A big turnout is expected for the official opening of Hawera’s new cycling, running and walking trail to the beach

The Denby Rd to Waihi Beach Pathway will be opened on Sunday at 11am.

Festivities will start at the entrance of Te Kura Kaupapa Ma¯ori o Nga¯ti Ruanui on Denby Rd, South Taranaki District Council engineering group manager Brent Manning said.

‘‘We will start with a blessing by kaumatua Sandy Parata followed by the official opening by South Taranaki Mayor Ross Dunlop. Then the cyclists, runners and finally the walkers will be sent on their way down the 3.2km pathway to Waihi Beach Reserve,’’ Manning said.