Local Finglas community to walk in HOPE

THE Finglas community will be hosting its second ‘Walk of Hope into Light’ later this month to highlight mental health issues.

 Locals are invited to gather for the walk at the Scribblestown entrance of Tolka Valley Park at 4.30am, on the morning of May 22.

The walkers will start their journey in the darkness, and as they continue walking side by side, the sky will gradually get brighter.

Anne Ellis, a mental health activist and campaigner from Finglas, is one of the women behind the event. Her son has been diagnosed with a serious mental illness.

Catherine Bradley, Sarah Caulfield Cala, Celine Gannon, Claire Kavanagh and Grace Kiernan are the other mothers involved in organising the walk.

They are all committee members of The Finglas HOPE community and the walk is something close to all of their hearts as they’ve been affected by mental health issues and suicide. 

“This walk of Hope into Light is in remembrance of those gone too soon and for their families and friends to know we will never forget them,” said Anne.

“It’s also for those living with mental illness, that we embrace them into our community.”

Speaking about the importance of talking honestly about mental illness the mother-of-one said: “I believe that only when we speak openly about mental health that the barriers and stigma that surrounds this illness will come down.”

All donations from the walk will go to the Mental Health Reform, an organisation dedicated to promoting improved mental health services and making them a priority in Ireland

 One thing that Anne would like to see changed is longer service hours.

“We currently have a Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm mental health service and we need 24 hour services,” she said. 

Anne also stressed that the days of hiding the issue under the carpet and putting it at the bottom of the Government’s agenda must end “to give those living with mental illness in our communities the dignity the voice and the equality they deserve as human beings.”

The issue was highlighted on Thursday, April 28, when hundreds of campaigners gathered outside the Dáil to protest against a proposed €12 million cut to the mental health budget in 2016.

Many also took to social media to protest using the hashtag #Iamareason. Anne attended the protest and also spoke about the cuts.

“We cannot and will not accept these cuts to a mental health service that’s already in crisis,” she told Northside People. 

REPORT: Róisín Nestor