The organisers of the annual Darkness Into Light event in Waterford city have said they are not running the event this year in protest at the decision by Pieta to close its Waterford house.
The 5km walk is held annually to raise funds for the charity that focuses on suicide prevention and providing self-harm support.
This year’s edition of the fundraiser will get under way at various locations across the country at 4.15am tomorrow morning.
However, a number of Darkness Into Light events will not take place in Waterford city and county this year.
Those who are usually behind these events have said they have opted not to organise the walk this year because of the decision by the charity’s head office to close its Pieta South East premises at Waterside, Waterford city.
However, Pieta has said it is continuing to maintain its services in Waterford and it is just moving to a new location.
The charity has said it is moving from standalone rented accommodation to a “co-located model” with other health and community partners in Waterford.
The location for its new premises has not been announced nor has when the move is scheduled to take place.
Pieta said it is making progress on this move and in the meantime, its services are retained at its current location at Waterside.
The charity added that its resources are being directed toward clinical delivery rather than building and facility costs.
However, there are concerns locally that the move will result in the loss of a physical presence for the suicide prevention charity in the heart of the city, and also in job losses for those currently working in the existing premises.
Chairperson of the Waterford City Darkness Into Light committee Des Purcell said the details surrounding the move are still not known.
The existing Pieta South East premises at Waterside in Waterford city
Mr Purcell said: “They are closing that facility that has been in Waterford for the last nine or ten years. They have told us that. They were unclear on what they are doing (next).
“This facility was fully professionally staffed by qualified counsellors. It is a very substantial loss to the community given the type of facilities that were being provided.
“The committee were also annoyed at the manner of the announcement,” Mr Purcell added.
Pieta has said it is “disappointed” at the committee’s decision not to hold its usual walk this year.
CEO of Pieta Stephanie Manahan also stressed the importance of the charity’s flagship fundraiser.
In a statement, Ms Manahan said: “We will continue to maintain our service levels in Waterford, for example, in 2025, Pieta therapists supporting Waterford worked with 359 people and delivered 1,561 support sessions.”
The statement goes on to say: “We understand there has been concern among our supporters in Waterford. We have reassured our local Waterford community that our level of support for people remains unchanged.
“We are, of course, disappointed at the decision not to hold the usual Darkness Into Light walk this year. Darkness Into Light is our flagship fundraiser, and we rely heavily on the donations it brings in to keep our services going.
“We would like to thank the wider Waterford community for the incredible support for Pieta. While this particular Darkness Into Light walk is not taking place this year, there is a walk taking place in Ballymacarbry, and a number of local groups have signed up to our Take Part Your Own Way initiative,” Ms Manahan added.
With the traditional Darkness Into Light walk not going ahead in parts of Waterford this year, similar-themed events have been organised but in aid of other charities.
Fionnuala Cromer started doing the Darkness Into Light walk in Waterford around 15 years ago and subsequently started organising the Tramore edition of the event during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year, Ms Cromer has organised a new event titled the ‘Sunrise Stroll’ that will take place in Tramore tomorrow in aid of local suicide prevention organisation, Re-A-Suir.
Ms Cromer said the idea for the event came about after learning the Darkness Into Light walk was not going ahead as she still wanted to promote the sense of togetherness and support that remains in the community.
She said: “My reasons for doing the walk are simple…everybody has been touched in some shape or form by suicide.
“But it is not just suicide. It is the wider picture. We need more resources to help people of all ages in terms of counselling. It’s the talking, the chats, the cups of tea, the 3am phone calls if people are feeling low (that we need to think about).”
Pieta has said a total of 177 Darkness Into Light walks will still take place across the country in the early hours of tomorrow morning.