Tyrone rises early for ‘Darkness Into Light’ walk

AS the clock struck 4.15am on Saturday morning, hundreds of people gathered throughout Tyrone to set off on this year’s ‘Darkness Into Light’ walk.

A sea of yellow t-shirts flooded the streets for the five kilometre walk as the sun began to rise over the participating areas of Cookstown, Castlederg and Dromore. The aim was raising awareness for mental health, as well as raising money for Pieta House – a charity which provides a range of free therapies to people who are in distress, or bereaved by suicide.

This year, Cookstown’s walk set off from The Hub BT80 in the town.

The Hub BT80 is a volunteer led charity which has stated that they are ‘on a mission to positively impact the physical and mental health of the Cookstown community and beyond’.

The Castlederg walk was led by the volunteers at the Koram Centre – a community organisation who offer support to individuals experiencing mental health and emotional wellbeing issues in Strabane and surrounding areas.

It was also an early start at the Sports Complex in Dromore, where many local residents were in attendance on behalf of ‘Aware’ – a Derry based charity which delivers mental health and well-being programmes into communities, schools, colleges, universities and workplaces.

With more than 200 official walks taking place for ‘Darkness Into Light’ in 2023 across 15 countries spanning five continents, these often emotional gatherings are a true testimony to the wonderful work of places like Pieta House and the importance of good mental health.

With plenty of ways to get involved, if walking isn’t your thing, you can do ‘Darkness Into Light’ for your chosen charity your own way, such as running, jogging or swimming – and the whole family is welcome!