Cycle Against Suicide wants participants to collectively cycle one million kilometres in the lead-up to World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September.

By wearing a Cycle Against Suicide jersey, t-shirt or jacket, participants can help raise awareness of mental ill-health and act in solidarity with those who are suffering.

Across the world somebody dies every 40 seconds by taking their own life. In Ireland, at least one person dies by suicide every single day.

Cycle Against Suicide aims to raise awareness of the risks of suicide in communities and to break down stigma barriers around mental health.

Resilience

The organisation’s motto is: ‘It’s OK not to feel OK, and it’s absolutely OK to ask for help’ and the goal is to build personal resilience and break the silence associated with mental ill-health.

Cycle Against Suicide wants to create a nation where suicide and mental health stigma are replaced by empathy, hope, understanding and accessible help.

Chief executive Caroline Lafferty believes that the adverse mental health effects of COVID-19 are very real.

Distress

“The pandemic is causing distress and leaving many vulnerable to mental health problems,” she says, making awareness of the importance of good mental health more crucial than ever.

People can participate from any location and by any means – alone or with friends.

What matters is support and participation to raise awareness in each local community of those who struggle with mental health issues.

Full details are available online.