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12th Apr 2018

WATCH: Darkness Into Light returns with powerful new video about mental health awareness

Michael Lanigan

“Wake up and realise with every breath that how we treat each other is a matter of life and death.”

Pieta House’s annual Darkness Into Light campaign will be returning on 12 May in a bid to raise vital funds for suicide prevention, suicide bereavement and self-harm.

The national and international event was launched by the charity on Thursday, 12 April with support from Electric Ireland.

Calling on people to wake up and walk with Pieta House at 4.15am on Saturday, 12 May, the Darkness Into Light campaign has already seen phenomenal success in recent years, with over 180,000 people participating across the globe last year.

Pieta House and Electric Ireland have produced an emotional video, titled ‘Wake Up! Let’s Be Kind’, which aims to raise awareness that “how we treat each other is a matter of life and death”.

Clip via Electric Ireland

The video also featuring a number of notable contributions from musician and mental health activist Niall Breslin, writer and mental health advocate Sinéad Burke, sports broadcaster Evanne Ní Chuilinn, Bi-Polar Bear Wear founder and 2018 Darkness Into Light t-shirt designer Stephen Considine, Dublin GAA All-Ireland winner Nicole Owens, and comedian, Fair City actor and JOE’s own Eric Lalor.

Commenting on the 2018 campaign, Niall Breslin said: “It’s never been more important to highlight the issue of suicide in Ireland and the message of kindness is especially important – I’m delighted to be supporting Pieta House and Darkness Into Light with Electric Ireland.”

Brian Higgins, CEO of Pieta House, said: “Thanks to the generosity of all our participants and supporters, all of our services remain free, but the demand for them is ever-increasing.

“We all need to wake up to the stigmas that lead people to the point of self-harm or suicidal crisis and subsequently to the doors of Pieta House to seek help.”

If you plan on joining in, all registrations must be completed online here by Friday, 4 May to receive the new Darkness Into Light t-shirt via post and secure a spot at a registered location.

For more information, check out the Darkness Into Light website.

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