"Very difficult decision..."

Pieta House has postponed Darkness Into Light until the autumn. The charity announced this week that they had made the decision to push back their nationwide fundraising walk due to the coronavirus outbreak. "After much deliberation, Pieta have taken the very difficult decision to postpone Darkness Into Light 2020 until the autumn," they said. "The COVID-19 outbreak that we are currently seeing in Ireland poses an unprecedented challenge to our communities. "The safety and wellbeing of our clients, volunteers, staff and of the general public is our highest priority." The charity added that more than 80 percent of their funds comes directly from the public. "We need you now more than ever," they said. Pieta House's Darkness Into Light walk was due to take place in May of this year. The annual event sees hundreds of thousands of people across the country - and elsewhere - take to the streets at nighttime to raise vital funds for counselling services for those struggling with mental health issues. This is the first time that Darkness Into Light has been postponed since it first began in 2009.