Aoife, Simon, Daniel and myself will be taking part in 24 hours of exercise in aid of Pieta House. Starting on Friday 22^nd 7am right through to Saturday 23^rd 7am during the month of January; putting ourselves through mental and physical fatigue to somewhat replicate the ongoing struggles of people suffering for 24 hours. As we know, 2020 has been an immensely tough year and that’s before we talk about the mental health side of things. Mental health affects a lot more people than we think, and unfortunately suffering in silence is all too common. For some, this topic may hit quite close to home, it does for me. Although this topic is being talked about more as of late, but it’s not talked about at the level it should be. There’s still a stigma surrounding this issue, particularly in men and that needs to change and it needs to change now. For a topic so dark, mental health needs to be brought into light.

                                               
Pieta House do phenomenal work and in 2019 over 8,000 people suffering from suicide ideation, engaging in self-harm or availed of their suicide bereavement counselling. They managed over 16,000 calls through their 24 hour freephone helpline. Their vision is to have a world where suicide, self harm and stigma have been replaced with hope, self-care and acceptance. Without the generosity of the people, Pieta wouldn’t have been able to give hope to 50,000 people that have come through their doors since 2006. All donations, however big or small, go a long way and you have the chance to give hope to someone who is suffering.

24: People suffer 24 hours a day, the mind doesn't stop. 8: Double meaning, 8,000 people came through the doors of Pieta in 2019 and we aim to burn 8,000 calories in those 24 hours.