Local student takes on 300km walk for Pieta in memory of her late sister

(Above) Jessica Henson is walking 300km this month to raise funds for Pieta House.

A 17-year-old Westmeath student is lacing up her walking shoes for the month of August to complete 300km in memory of her late sister and a charity very close to her heart.

Jessica Henson, who will go into 6th year in Our Lady's Bower in Athlone this September, has set herself a goal to raise as much money as she can for Pieta Midlands, as a way of remembering her sister Nicola, who the family lost to suicide back in 2013.

“Pieta is always a charity we support, we always do Darkness into Light, and with lockdown, a lot more people are suffering with mental health. I love walking so I decided to do the fundraiser for Pieta in memory of Nicola,” Jessica told the Westmeath Independent on Tuesday.

Only nine when Nicola died, Jessica remembers fondly trips to Galway to visit her late sister and outings to the seaside with her in Salthill.

While 300km seems daunting to most, not so for the Moydrum girl, who is breaking it up into 6km per day on the days that she is working as a waitress in Wineport Lodge Restaurant, and a half marathon of 21 km on her days off.

“I've 90km in total done and I'll probably have 100km by the end of today (Tuesday). I only set the target at €300 for 300km but I already have €1,145 so I'm delighted. I didn't think it would go that high,” added Jessica, who will give updates on her progress on her Instagram account (Jessicahensonx).

Like many charities, Pieta House, which has a local base in Athlone, relies on the goodwill, generosity and kindness of others in order to fundraise and Jessica is keen to help the Pieta team out in what had been a very difficult year.

“Pieta provides amazing services such as free counselling to those with suicidal ideation, those engaging in self-harm, and those bereaved by suicide. The funds raised will allow those services and their 24/7 helpline to continue as usual,” Jessica's GoFundMe page explains.

She thanked everyone who has supported her so far by donating or helping her set up her fundraiser.

You can donate by searching for Jessica Henson on gofundme.com or on the link below www.gofundme.com/f/7vfgf-300km-for-pieta