For the month of May we have decided to help fundraise for an amazing organisation Pieta House. We will be donating €5 for every pair of Méid Denim jeans bought for the month of May and you can also donate directly to our fundraiser page here. Pieta first began in Lucan, County Dublin in 2006. Since then they have seen and helped over 58,000 people in suicidal distress or engaging in self-harm. They now operate fifteen centres and five outreach service across Ireland. 

The main fundraiser associated with Pieta House that takes placed annually is Darkness Into Light which is a flagship fundraiser. We will be joining hundreds of thousands of people wake in the small hours of the morning this Saturday the 8th of May 2021 to take part in Darkness Into Light which touches the lives of many more in venues across the world.

Over 80% of Pieta funding comes from the public. The funding is then used for the following resources; Counselling, Pieta Centres, SBLO Service, Freephone helpline, Resilience Academy, Suicide Bereavement Therapy, LGBTI+ Outreach service and Amber Flag which is raising awareness of mental health issues and stigma for school age children.

It is important that if we are worried that a friend or loved one is suffering or thinking of suicide that we could recognise suicide warning signs– here are some of the key warning signs to watch out for:

What to listen for:

• Talking or writing about hurting themselves, dying or saying that they want to die
• Talking about ways to die or having a suicide plan
• Saying that they are ‘trapped’ or have no options in their life
• Saying they have no purpose in their lives, that they feel hopeless

What to look for:

• Engaging in self-harm or reckless, risk taking behaviour
• Giving items away or saying goodbye to people
• Becoming more inward looking and withdrawing from family and friends
• Changes in their sleep patterns – too much or too little sleep
• Extreme emotions or dramatic changes in mood
• Increasing their use of drugs or alcohol

If you recognise one or more of these warning signs in a loved one’s behaviour, don’t wait for someone else to do something contact Pieta! Pieta operate a 24 hour freephone helpline with qualified counsellors.

Pieta also provide a free counselling to children, adolescents, and individuals who have been bereaved by suicide. Their model is based on an integrative approach. providing a person centred, flexible bereavement service which meets the needs of the clients. There are two services for those bereaved by suicide; SBL Service and Suicide Bereavement Therapy.