Thousands walk from Darkness into Light in Kilkenny and Inistioge

RECORD numbers of people from Kilkenny walked from ‘Darkness Into Light’ this morning.

Before dawn they came, marching in their thousands in Kilkenny city and Inistioge, which was hosting its very first charity walk in aid of Pieta House.

They came together at 4.15am, an army of yellow tee-shirted walkers doing their bit to raise awareness and vital funding for the mental health and suicide bereavement charity.

The ground-breaking Irish charity walk is now in its tenth year and is taking place in cities across the globe, including Hong Kong, Dubai and Toronto.

It is estimated up to 200,000 people across Ireland and throughout the world took part in day’s Darkness Into Light events across the world.

Speaking about this morning’s events, Pieta CEO Elaine Austin said: “Darkness Into Light unites us as people, from rural communities to major cities, across the globe, in a spirit of comfort and compassion to give and build hope. It connects us all, creating the energy for change, in which suicidal thoughts, self-harm and stigma can be replaced by hope, self-care and acceptance.

“It is vital for the delivery of our services and for raising awareness. We are so thankful to have had 200,000 people walking with us today from Darkness Into Light.

“I want to thank our volunteers, our supporters, our partner Electric Ireland and all the participants for their involvement in this year’s event. However, the journey continues beyond the finish line of the walk. It is vital that we continue to build hope.”

If you would like to make a donation to the charity, log on to: https://www.darknessintolight.ie/donate 

PHOTOS: Aidona Photography https://www.facebook.com/Aidona1/