Cycle of life: 32-county trek to combat suicide

Ten friends are on their bikes to create awareness of 500 deaths per year and to fund the charity Console, says Colette Sheridan

NINE men and one woman from Cork are cycling the 32 counties this week in aid of Console, the suicide prevention and bereavement charity. The cyclists, all in their 50s, aim to raise €10,000 for Console’s second Cork centre, which will open at Bessborough in Blackrock this year.

The cycle began on May 4 and finishes on Saturday. It is the brainchild of Ger Collins. Every Sunday morning, for the past 12 years, he has met a group of 30 men outside Cork’s City Hall for a weekly cycle. After the O’Sullivan Beara four-day cycle last year, from Glengariff to Longford, so Collins suggested cycling for charity.

“We may not all have been either directly or indirectly affected by suicide, but it seems to be very prevalent and we felt we could do something to help,” says Collins, whose wife Valerie is the female participant. Another participant, Paul French, says:

“We find cycling fantastic, not just for physical well-being, but also for the social aspect of it. You get to talk to everyone. In our own personal lives, the cycling has cleared our heads through our various trials and troubles.”

The cyclists, many of whom are fathers, are conscious of the worrying number of young males committing suicide. French says: “It’s a topic we would have discussed. We hope the cycle will raise awareness, as well as raising money. It will help us, and might help our sons. Suicide seems to have become almost a viable option. It’s hard to understand. By not being afraid to talk about it, it might help young people.”

Collins says four times as many people die from suicide in Ireland as from road accidents.

“Yet the Government spends ten times as much money on road accident prevention as it does on suicide awareness. It’s the elephant in the room that we’re all avoiding. In this country, if you’re a male in trouble, you don’t talk about it, whereas women, generally, communicate better. Men find it hard to talk. It’s probably seen as a sign of weakness if we let people know that things aren’t going so well. But it’s ok not to be ok.”

One of the sponsors of the cycle is Care Choice, a chain of nursing homes. At its headquarters in Montenotte, activities director Clodagh Whelan has a novel idea to support the cycle.

“She has put two exercise bikes into the canteen in the Montenotte home,” says Collins. “There will be a relay of residents, staff and visitors combining to cycle the same distance as us for every day of the cycle. This might encourage other companies to get involved in their own way.”

Director of services at Console, Ciarán Austin, says that opening the Bessborough branch of Console “is quite a big project for us. The Sacred Heart Sisters donated the building to us. We’ve had a centre on Perrott’s Avenue on College Road for four years, but it’s very small. From there, we provide suicide bereavement counselling. But, due to demand, we need a bigger premises.”

The Bessborough centre will provide Console with a range of suicide bereavement support options, including residential facilities for families at weekends.

“We will have traditional supports, like counselling and psychotherapy for individuals, families and children. We’ll also provide training for communities and agencies.”

Console services are free. The State funds 30% of its running costs. “We have to raise 70% of our funding ourselves, through fundraisers and donations,” says Austin. Renovating Bessborough will cost €100,000 to €150,000.

More than 500 people in Ireland died from suicide in 2011.

“Out of the 26 EU countries, we have the sixth lowest rate of suicide, but all these countries have different ways of gathering statistics. When it comes to youth suicide, between the ages of 15-24, we’re the fourth highest country in Europe, and 80% to 85% of all Irish suicides are men.

The cyclists, who are paying their own expenses, are wearing eye-catching pink shirts. Cyclist Dr Mick Crotty says: “I want to encourage men to connect more with their feminine side and that’s why we’re wearing pink jerseys.”

* To donate, visit: www.mycharity.ie/event/32countycycleforconsole

or www.facebook.com/Console32CountyCycle.