5 days ago
Pembrokeshire woman taking on 5K challenge in New York
Jasmyn Collings, who grew up in Pembrokeshire, is running the challenge in New York City to raise vital funds for Pathway Counselling, a mental health charity in west Wales.
The charity, which has helped hundreds through trauma, anxiety, grief and emotional crisis, recently had to introduce paid counselling due to a lack of funding.
Ms Collings said: "I'm not a runner.
"I never have been.
"Even running 60 seconds feels like my lungs are collapsing.
"So I decided to set myself a challenge that feels completely out of reach — to reflect what it feels like when you're battling with your mental health.
"I grew up in Pembrokeshire.
"I know what it feels like to be struggling in a rural place, where services are far away and it feels like no one is there."
She is currently training for her first 5K using the Couch to 5K programme.
She said: "This isn't a marathon.
"It's a 5K.
"But when your mental health is suffering, even 60 seconds of running, or getting out of bed, or making a meal or showering can feel like a marathon.
"That's what I want people to see."
Pathway Counselling has received more than 1,000 referrals in the past year.
It offers free and low-cost, trauma-informed counselling to anyone in Pembrokeshire who needs it, with no diagnosis or GP referral required.
Ms Collings said: "All they want to do is provide free counselling but they've had to introduce additional paid services just to survive.
"And more than 84 per cent of their clients say they couldn't afford therapy if it wasn't free.
"So what happens then?"
Public Health Wales reports that more than one in five people in Wales now experience a mental health problem.
Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among young people, and rural areas like Pembrokeshire often have the highest need but the fewest resources.
Ms Collings said: "Pathway is one of the only places people can turn to without months of waiting.
"And it's not just about saving this service — it's about saving the lives of people who desperately need it.
"Through vital mental health support."
Despite receiving only three donations so far, she remains determined to complete the challenge.
She said: "If this run helps one person feel less alone, or one person get support they wouldn't have had — it's worth it."
To support the fundraiser and help Pathway Counselling continue offering free mental health support in Pembrokeshire, visit:
