Pieta a beacon of light for those in despair

Preparations are underway for the annual Pieta House Darkness into Light fundraiser, which takes place next Saturday, May 6.

The Cavan edition of the walk starts at 4.15am at Cavan Institute and the route loops around the town and finishes back at the college.

Fiona Corby, who is part of the walk’s organising committee, explains how people can register for the event.

“We have a pop-up registration shop in Cavan directly across from AIB. People can come along and register on Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 4-6.30pm; Wednesday and Thursday from 9am-12pm/4-6pm and Saturday from 10am-4pm. Registrations are also open on our social media pages or by scanning one of the QR codes we’ve been hanging up around the county,” outlines Fiona.

Registration costs €26 for adults, €5 for students (6-17 years), a family rate of €62 (two adults and five kids), and a rate of €21 applies for senior citizens, students and job seekers.

Fiona emphasises that all funds raised in the county go towards supporting mental health services in County Cavan.

“The money raised during the event will go towards funding Pieta House’s Outreach Centre, which is part of the Tusla building in Cavan. It supports a therapist who does 20 hours a week in both Cavan and Monaghan, as well as suicide bereavement therapists in both counties.

“While the main event in the county town is attracting ever-increasing numbers, smaller events around the county are also being held.”

It’s the eleventh year of the walk in Cavan.

“In our first year, we had 303 [walkers]. Last year, there were over 3,500 participants. It’s a powerful sight to see so many people in the famous yellow T-shirts. There are communities around Cavan that have been affected by suicide and are having their own events. For example, Ballyhaise GAA is having its own event, as are Cootehill Harps and Cootehill Youth Group,” says Fiona.

As well as raising funds, the walks provide a great platform for people who have been affected by suicide to discuss the issue with others who have been similarly affected.

“At our finish line we will be providing refreshments that were kindly donated by local businesses.

“The last walker crosses the line at 5.30am, but at 7.30am there’s still a lot of people hanging around talking about their experiences. It’s great to see.”