Cycle Against Suicide participants to descend on Offaly this weekend

A sea of cyclists will descend on Offaly this weekend as the Cycle Against Suicide passes through Edenderry, Tullamore and Birr on its annual main cycle.

Cycle Against Suicide is national awareness charity that sets out to change culture and create a society that openly talks about suicide to allow people to speak up and see help. When an individual is vulnerable enough to consider taking their own life, silence is read as indifference. With hundreds of people dying by suicide we all have a role to play to collectively address the challenges that suicide presents. 

Each year, Cycle Against Suicide brings together cyclists with different backgrounds and stories to help break the cycle of suicide in Ireland. This is a community-wide awareness-raising campaign to mobilise all sectors of society to work together to change negative attitude. In doing so, Cycle Against Suicide hopes to enable those who with mental ill health to seek help.

Since 2013, the event has seen over 20,000 cyclists take to the roads to help spread the message that ‘It’s OK not to feel OK; and It’s absolutely OK to ask for help’.  This simple yet powerful message could save the lives of those in our communities who are feeling alone.

Along its 800km route, the cycle passes through 65 towns and villages in 10 counties including Dublin, Offaly, Tipperary, Clare, Limerick, Kerry, Cork, Kilkenny, Kildare and Wicklow. During the cycle, participants will visit 20 schools, colleges and community centres promoting the organisations key message, “It’s ok not to feel ok; and It’s absolutely okay to ask for help” and highlighting the critical help available to anyone experiencing mental health issues.

The power of the cycle and its message is something that brings families, communities, organisations, schools, individuals and cyclists of all abilities together with a common purpose of ending the cycle of suicide. Each year, Cycle Against Suicide aims to engage more and more communities to begin a conversation about mental health; about looking after ourselves and reaching out to each other.

Cycle Against Suicide 2019 main cycle takes place from April 27 to May 6, stopping in Edenderry on Saturday and Tullamore and Birr on Sunday, April 27/28. 

For more information on the Cycle Against Suicide, visit www.cycleagainstsuicide.com.