Pieta House Centre opened in Tuam
By Sinead Farrell
A branch of Pieta House West will be opened in Tuam after 18 months of campaigning. The fundraising effort dedicated to this project involved the participation of three counties - Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon - striving for a target of €250,000.
John Concannon of Pieta House West referred to the continuous commitment of the campaigning committees as being instrumental to this result: “We have very active committee campaigning and fundraising in each county, and we could not have achieved this great result without their commitment and dedication.”
The centre will be located in a residential premises on Bishop Street which has been secured. There has also been a change of use planning application which was submitted to the local council to further prepare the town for the new centre. Local tradespeople are also contributing to endeaveaour by converting the property into a suitable space.
The Tuam Voluntary Force is an informal group who fundraise each year for deserving causes. They have organised car washes, the Tuam Harvest Queen Competition, and The Tuam Harvest Charity Ball, all on behalf of worthy causes. This year they also included Operation Tuamsformation and a Charity Football match called Have Boots Will Travel to raise funds.
This new centre will serve Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon, and Derek Cassidy of the Tuam Volunteer Force spoke of the group’s support in expanding Pieta House to the west of Ireland. “Times are very hard but the generosity of local people and the surrounding areas has been second to none this year as people see the urgency of getting help from Pieta House in the West of Ireland.”
“Suicide and self-harm affects people from all walks of life and the need for the provision of such a centre for the west has never been so prevalent. We need to educate everyone on the how to recognise the symptoms and where to get help for them right away, so really time is of the essence and people’s lives can be saved,” said John Concannon.
Mr Concannon, along with the committee members of Pieta House West, would like to thank all the supporters in Mayo, Galway, and Roscommon for their effort in organising and planning various fundraising events. Further events are the organising process to add momentum to this cause.
