On Saturday 22 June, the ‘Walk for Willows’ team took on a sponsored challenge to walk 25km as part of the Cotswold Way Ultra Challenge.
The team, made up of Willows Counselling Co-CEOs Denise Brent and Amanda Cook, and members of their team, set off from the Cirencester basecamp, navigating the steep ascents and descents leading them into the heart of the beautiful Cotswold landscape for this gruelling cross-country trek.
With an ambitious fundraising target of £5000, the motivation behind the impressive effort of these novice walkers is to raise enough money to fund 200 counselling sessions to ensure that financial constraints are not a barrier to people accessing much needed therapeutic support.
Crossing the finish line together in Painswick with a time of 5hrs: 58mins, the team receive the news that donations have been rolling in, with the total reaching £4500 or 180 sessions.
With 1 in 4 people experiencing a mental health problem of some kind each year in England, there is an ever-growing need for quality counselling support.
Established for over 30 years, Willows Counselling & Training continues to offer its services to meet the mental health needs of people in Swindon, Wiltshire and the West of England.
Providing an affordable service for those where finances are limits, Willows team of highly qualified counsellors offer one to one counselling sessions for people facing mental health difficulties, with a specialism in counselling for trauma and abuse with its complex challenges.
Willows conducts around 60 counselling sessions per week; 3000 sessions per year, 85% of which are subsidised to some degree.
Denise Brent and Amanda Cook: Co-CEOs, Willows, said: “Supporting the community and providing a quality counselling service is at the heart of all we do at Willows, so we want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has supported this fundraiser through donations, spreading the word, and sending messages of support.
“We have been blown away by the kindness of local people and organisations. Our target appears ambitious, but 200 sessions equate to only 7% of the total number of sessions we run in a year; 85% of which we subsidise to some degree.
“Our JustGiving page remains open until mid-July, so there is still time to donate.”
Donations can be made through the Willows JustGiving event page: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/walkforwillows
£25 (£1 per km walked) funds one counselling session.
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