5th Darkness into Light Fundraising Walk Set for 6 May

Darkness Into Light Luxembourg has announced that the fifth edition of its annual awareness- and fundraising 5 km walk is taking place on Saturday 6 May 2023. 

The walk, which aims to raise awareness of suicide and self-harm, will support Prévention Suicide of D'Ligue, SOS Détresse and KJT in Luxembourg as well as Pieta House in Ireland. It is taking place under the High Patronage of Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg. 

The starting point for the Darkness Into Light Luxembourg walk is Hall Omnisport (39 Montée de Clausen, at the new primary school) on 6 May at 05:00. Speaking to Chronicle.lu, Lynda Jacob, a member of the organising committee of Darkness Into Light Luxembourg, hinted that the route was slightly different this year, although the starting point was the same and the walk still passes through the old part of town. After the walk there will be an opportunity to meet the partner charities and participants over tea or coffee. 

Since the inception of Darkness Into Light in 2009, the event has grown to become a global movement. In 2019, the first edition of Darkness Into Light Luxembourg brought together some 500 people who walked from the darkness of night into the light towards hope. In 2022, the event attracted 382 registrations. “Many were still hesitant I think about coming together as a group,” observed Lynda Jacob, adding that, nevertheless, 300 people joined the group walk and the others “did it their own way”, i.e. when and where best suited them. One individual opted for a “challenge” in the form of an early morning run. Due to the popularity of these three options, participants can again choose between them this year. 

The 2022 event raised €13,000 for the three chosen charities (split evenly). As Ms Jacob explained, half of the amount from registration fees goes to Pieta, the worldwide organiser of the event; this covers insurance for the event, shipping of T-shirts, advertising and other costs. “Pieta themselves are a non-profit organisation providing free professional services 24/7 to people in Ireland who are in suicidal distress, engage in self-harm or bereaved by suicide,” she elaborated. “Pieta receives only 20% funding from the Irish government and the annual Darkness Into Light event in Ireland is their main fundraiser. All money raised at venues abroad such as Luxembourg i.e. donations, funds raised, sponsorship as well as half the registration fee goes to the local charity or charities.” 

Now in its fifth year, the organisers are hoping to see an even greater turnout, with participants united in their support for those affected by suicide and self-harm. Regarding fundraising goals, Ms Jacob stated: “With soaring costs and people having to tighten their belts this year, all money raised will be very much welcomed by ourselves and our charities.” 

Reflecting on the highlights of the past five years, Lynda Jacob shared that the team were “very proud of the fact that for an Irish run and Irish organised event, Darkness Into Light Luxembourg seems to have touched the wider community here and has now become an international and multicultural event.” She continued: “It's also heart-warming to know that many people join us now too because they understand the aim of the event and are willing to encourage more openness among the population on the issue of mental health. Nothing helps more than talking openly about such an issue.” She added that the team were proud of their partnership with the three chosen charities and were “delighted that they are so committed and dedicated to making the whole event a success.” 

Concerning the challenges, she noted that charity walks were "not very well known in Luxembourg" and so obtaining approval from the City of Luxembourg for the first event in 2019 was "rather a challenge". "We have now thankfully built up many contacts which helps the practicalities of organisation flow more smoothly," she added. Another initial challenge was "finding one or more like-minded partner charities here and convincing them that we were a cause worth working with!" Ms Jacob noted that one of the conditions set by Pieta House in order for an event to go ahead is to work with a local partner charity, which has been vetted and approved by Pieta. She noted that KJT approached the organisers following the 2019 event having heard about it from the existing partner charities, Prévention Suicide of D'Ligue, SOS Détresse.

One major recent challenge was the COVID-19 pandemic: "There was so much uncertainty as to whether our walk (and all those scheduled around the world) could go ahead or not in 2020, and this after several months of preparation. Finally, Pieta House were obliged to cancel the event completely and although any type of group walk here was out of the question, many people, alone or as a family, did walk in the name of Darkness Into Light around the country to mark the day that it would have taken place. Even as we moved towards the possibility of a walk in 2021, the uncertainty still prevailed but 'virtual' walks in groups of ten were luckily allowed and did take place here in Luxembourg. An amazing 250 people took part around Luxembourg 'doing it their own way' and raising €9,000 for our charities."

Looking ahead to five years from now, Lynda Jacob said that the team hoped by then to have “made a difference here for those struggling with mental health issues. If we can prevent just one family going through the pain of losing a loved one to suicide, it will make it all very worthwhile.”

At the global level, there are 197 Darkness Into Light events planned in fourteen countries across five continents this year. 

Participants can register for the Luxembourg event online at https://www.darknessintolight.ie/ or check out the Darkness Into Light Luxembourg Facebook page.