COMMENT: We all feel let down by Console scandal

THERE are many people who can with legitimacy feel very let down by what has been revealed about the shocking dearth of corporate governance and internal controls within the suicide awareness and prevention charity, Console.   

Chief among those are the clients of the service and those who work – both on an unpaid and paid basis – for the organisation.  Also, the hundreds of people who have worked to fundraise for the charity in a country where our faith in such organisations has been severely dented over recent years. 

These people have had their trust and sense of decency impugned by what has been learned through the media and HSE reports about the spending habits and apparent cavalier lifestyle engaged in by the former Console chief executive, Paul Kelly, and some members of his family.

We, in Northside People, rank down the pecking order in terms of the impact of this scandal. But this newspaper and our sister newspapers in Celtic Media Group have been very proactive supporters of Console over the past two years, primarily through providing substantial amounts of advertising on a pro bono basis alongside editorial and photographic coverage to promote the Helpline over the key Christmas period, when so often dark thoughts can invade the minds of vulnerable people.

Last Christmas, for example, an average of 185 people per day contacted the Console Helpline number of 1800 247 247 during the holiday period and a total of 4,116 rang during the month of December 2015 itself. There were also many text messages sent – primarily by young men – to the text Helpline 51444.

Impossible to know, but for all the sad news stories about suicide – and each of those has associated and permanent stories of sadness in the lives of those left behind – there are countless more untold stories of those who have been helped by Console and other such organisations to the extent that they have moved from a dark place to a brighter place in their thoughts.

Northside People was approached initially by a respected business partner of ours who felt that the scale of suicide in Ireland – both in urban and rural locations – was reaching epidemic proportions. He suggested that we meet with Paul Kelly and hear of the work being carried out in Console and we have been very enthusiastic supporters even since, doing our bit to ensure that the tragedy of suicide is kept from the door of as many families as possible.

The lessons to be learnt among those with a regulatory responsibility and those dispensing taxpayers’ funding to such agencies are stark. There clearly has been too much trust and not enough verification allowed for the smiling Mr Kelly.

It is imperative now that the reputation of those charitable organisations which operate in a fully transparent manner is not besmirched by this very distasteful episode.  We, in Northside People, will always be found willing to support good causes. However, we will be a lot more questioning the next time around.