Cork based mental health group secures charitable status 

It was both a working lunch and a celebratory event on Saturday when members of Cork’s newest charity, Shine A Light Suicide and Mental Health Awareness, met at the Montenotte Hotel to celebrate the official recognition of their group as a charity.

Shine A Light director Mick Nugent told The Echo that the recognition of the group — set up more than a decade ago with the aim of continually working towards lowering the incidence of suicide in the community — as a charity was a massive achievement and would also serve as a launching pad for future development.

“We’ve been working on this for a good period of time, and I’m delighted that we’ve got it,” said Mr Nugent, who is also a Sinn Féin councillor. 

He also paid tribute to former Shine A Light chairwoman Ann Long, who started the process towards achieving the recognition during her tenure.

“As soon as we heard the news, the first thing we did was to call up to Ann — who is our former chairperson — to tell her, and she was delighted to hear the news,” he said. 

“It gives us a bit of a lift as an organisation and, going forward, we’re looking at how we move on and grow as an organisation. 

“It will really give us a leg up in working in the community and engaging with the respective agencies.”

“Suicide touches all communities and all demographics,” he added, pointing out that the charity was originally formed as a result of concern over the number of suicides on the northside.

The group is now looking forward to a number of events which are planned for the coming weeks, including the return of the very successful play, Bring Me Back Alive, written by Patricia McCann, on Saturday, November 25.

The play, which centres around six friends who come together after another friend takes his life, will be staged in the Actors Vision at St Patrick’s Quay, and a limited number of tickets are available online at the Eventbrite link which is accessible via the Shine A Light Suicide and Mental Health Awareness Facebook page.