Dawn walk to help raise funds for Pieta House

Organisers of a dawn walk which raises funds for suicide prevention charity Pieta House are hoping to almost double the number of participants at the Galway City event when it takes place in Salthill next month.

An estimated 2,300 people took part in the Galway ‘Darkness Into Light’ walk in May 2013 and on-line registrations for the May 10 event are already four times what they were this time last year.

The 5km walk starts at the Leisureland complex at 4.15am on Saturday, May 10, and takes in a route which includes the Salthill promenade and South Park, before returning to Leisureland. Walkers will get to see the sun rising over Galway Bay during the event.

It is the third year in which ‘Darkness Into Light’ takes place in the city and the event has grown enormously since 170 people joined the first walk along the seafront three years ago.

The Galway event, one of 37 across the country, is of even more relevance to the region this year as Pieta House opened their first West of Ireland facility in Tuam just four months ago.

Participants are urged to register in advance and to wear bright yellow t-shirts on the walk, which begins in darkness. The early dawn represents hope and is symbolic of the work of Pieta House; bringing people from darkness back into the light.

“We started out here with a very modest 170 people walking three years ago in the city. Last year we had 2,300 people taking part in the event. This year we are hoping to double the numbers,” said Tom McEvoy of Pieta House during the launch of the walk at the Galway Bay Hotel yesterday.

“You are looking onto a fantastic promenade here in Salthill. You are going to have lots of people walking with vibrant, yellow coloured t-shirts, showing the way and the symbolism behind the whole thing is offering hope. For those who do show up that morning, we are offering a huge statement out there, that we are at one, together in this initiative.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.