AN ONLINE coach who built up her business during the pandemic after being left with no work walked an incredible 16 miles to raise money for Conwy Mind. 

Seren Walker, of Abergele, who runs Sculpt With Seren, raised more than £1,200 for the charity by walking from Llandudno Pier to Rhyl. 

The 26-year-old was joined and supported by 20 fundraisers - many of them clients. 

Seren said: "We set off for 8.30am on our journey to Rhyl. On a whole, the day was amazing. It was full of laughs and chatting and it was a great chance for people to meet other members of the Sculpt with Seren team. We do have a WhatsApp group where we chat regularly, so putting names to faces for many of them was nice, and it was great for me to chat with everyone outside the gym environment.

North Wales Pioneer: Seren Walker was joined by 20 supporters and fundraisers, many of which were clients.Seren Walker was joined by 20 supporters and fundraisers, many of which were clients. (Image: Seren Walker)

"The walk definitely had its hurdles along the way. There was many blisters and extremely sore feet, sore hips, back of the knees and sore muscles, including a lot of sore backs from carrying our bag packs with our water and snacks in."

Clients that took part in the sponsored walk included: Olivia Fairhurst-Pamment, Lianne Kearney, Emily Lloyd, Becki Foulkes, Jess Roberts, Freya Brownson, Kirsty Williams, Chloe murphy, Nia Clarke, Ashleigh Jones, Yvonne Hunter, Elin Hardy, Del Lloyd-Jones, Karen O’Toole along with friends and family. One girl, Lilly Jenkins, was aged 12.

Speaking about the reason behind the walk, Seren said: "During Christmas time I really resonated with how hard it can be over Christmas and new year mentally. Yes, it’s a wonderful time of year but it hit home the fact that it’s not all butterflies and rainbows for everyone and that it can actually be really hard.

"I chose Conwy Mind as I became aware of some of the work they do, and it really touched me. I have seen friends, close family, and people in the community struggle with mental health and for a charity such as Conwy Mind to be so accessible for people locally and for free I find truly amazing. I also feel like not enough people realise they have someone to talk to or that they can seek advice from with Conwy Mind. I wanted that to be shared more."

Seren, who is a professional dancer and also works at Body Rock Dance Academy in Rhyl, said the toughest part of the challenge was to see fellow fundraisers struggle with pain. 

"Other than lunch we didn’t have much time to stop," Seren said. 

"Even with people changing socks/shoes and putting on plasters etc we had to be quite harsh and just continue on through the pain.

"The last stretch from Kinmel Bay to Rhyl, even with Rhyl in sight, felt so tough and by that point we were all just ready to sit down and finish the walk.

"I truly am beyond shocked with how much we’ve raised. I am also eternally grateful to every single person who donated.

"The best part for me was that we started the walk on around £900 and whilst we were still walking in Llandudno, we hit the £1,000 mark.

"This was extra special and we all did a high five."

The group finished their walk at Batch Ice Cream Parlour.

Conwy Mind had kindly organised for banner to be put up at the venue. 

Seren added: "I have never done anything like this before but it's something I’ve always wanted to do. I think finding a group to do something like this with is tough, especially as an adult, but I must say Sculpt With Seren is more than just clients to me. We are a community who are all trying to achieve the same thing, getting healthier, happier and stronger. It’s really special and has also helped people socialise and do activities outside the gym too. We have a few other things lined up which include a cold-water dip in the sea and Snowdon in a few weeks."

Seren, who trained at London Studio Centre, was working as a dancer for a cruise ship in 2019 when Covid hit. 

"Covid hit us all and I was left with no job to go back to," she said.

"Cruise ships had stopped, still in sea, and weren’t taking on any new performers and theatres were the same. It was an extremely tough time for me. I was really lost with no hope and no idea when it would be over, like many. I had hardly any money and struggled, but I worked in a shop to get by. I then decided after speaking to my partner to quit my job and study online to become a personal trainer, which was always part of my plan and something I always wanted to do.

"I took the plunge, quit my job and studied day in day out for around three months before taking my exam and passing as a personal trainer. That was in the December.

"I secured a place to start work before another lockdown in the January being annouced, meaning all my hard work and built up excitement was slowly being put to bed. The gyms were closed until May 2021, so I did live workouts online and started to build up some sort of client base.

"May 2021 gyms re-opened and I was then able to get people into the gym and start my business. From there it spiralled into something I never thought it would.

"It was a huge risk but my-god it paid off. I now coach clients every day of the week from the gym and have launched my online coaching programme. I coach clients not just in the UK, but also in the USA and Australia.

"My main aim through coaching online and in person isn’t just to lose weight or look a certain way, I want people to feel good, feel strong, feel happier, feel empowered to enjoy some time for them, whilst getting fitter and healthier. 

"I am so lucky to have stumbled across this during covid and I am so proud of myself that during tough times, I was able to build my business and my brand.

"Sculpt With Seren and its clients really is incredible and I am proud of everyone who took part and gave up their Sunday to take on this challenge with me."

As well as being an online coach, Seren carries out personal training sessions from Bobbie Be Fit in Rhos-on-Sea.