Cranfield woman's 10k a day walk to raise money for mental health support for ambulance staff

A woman from Cranfield is walking 10k every day for 30 days to raise money for mental health support for frontline staff.

Dionne Jones, an apprentice emergency care support worker at Luton Ambulance Station, wants to raise money to directly pay for private counselling/therapy sessions for all frontline staff in south Bedfordshire.

Due to an underlying health condition she has been taken off of the frontline and is now at home 'shielding'.

The 24-year-old set up the Just Giving page and was hoping to raise £1,000, she smashed her target after two days and has now raised over £3,000.

She said: "I'm a trainee at the Luton Ambulance Station and because of an underlying health condition I can't work at the moment.

"But I have seen what my colleagues are having to deal with on the frontline and I know it is affecting some of them, and I want to help them get the support they might need, for their mental health.

"Some of my colleagues are paying for sessions with a therapist out of their own money and I wanted to do something to help them, while I'm not working.

"I will be walking 10k every day for 30 days to raise money for a pot for staff to use for sessions with a therapist.

"It's going well, but my feet are killing me!

"I have a route that I go on every day, the whole village has been supportive, the shops have my poster up and some houses have banners for me, which is lovely."

Dionne walks round her village and has received a lot of support from local businesses and residents.

Jennifer-Jane Sabini, Dionne's friend, said: "For as long as I have known Dionne, I have known the most selfless, giving soul who is the life and soul of any room.

"Dionne used to dedicate herself to changing severely disabled children and young adolescent's lives, then went into midwifery and now is a student paramedic.

"Yet again, like most of the decisions she makes, out of the kindness of Dionne's heart that despite being unable to work, she wants to still support her colleagues during this time.

"There is no one I know that deserves the positive attention and recognition more than Dionne right now, and the east of England ambulance service, Luton division for their selfless work.

"The East of England ambulance service, nationwide, are working all the hours in the day to help our communities as we know.

"Seeing the most horrifying situations for their patients. They are doing whatever they can to keep their spirits high and anxieties low which is why they need all the money the community has to help them through this time."

To make a donation visit: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dionne-jones-1.