Counselling Help to 20 Suicidal Irish People

We are happy to report that our counselling service is continuing to run well. Since our team grew last year from three to six counsellors, we have hope to be able to reach a wider network of people and help those struggling. We couldn't do this work without the help and support of others and we want to extend our deep gratitude to all who continue to support Hope Trust. 

We have made updates to our website and changed our colour theme to be more calming and welcoming and we've had some great response from it. We also very recently updated our payment/donations method and are now able to offer credit/debit card payments, as well as PayPal, which has been a very useful update for both our clients and supporters. 

Our social media strategy is changing after a great planning session and we have a more targeted plan outlined for this term - we will begin running with this in May. We aim to be more visible online, with the goal of spreading hope, encouragement and insight while also promoting our services, events and fundraisers. 

We have a Coffee Morning Fundraiser happening on Saturday 25th April, that has been well advertised and we look forward to bringing the community together for a great cause. 

With regards to our Training at Hope Trust, we have four current workshops and a fifth one has been written and developed over the past few months by Linda Rowett and Anjie Beharry-Cooney. They will be running a demo in May for the new workshop called "Understanding Mental Health," which will coincide with Mental Health week. We look forward to hearing people's feedback. 

There are also some developments happening within our staff as our current Director plans to step down with a new Director officially stepping into the role in September. We look forward to the direction Hope Trust will take in the future and are planning and organising for a smooth transition and handover. 

There has been lots of changes in the past few months and more to come. Change isn't always easy, but it is necessary for growth, and as Pauline R. Kezer mentions in the attached quote, we believe these changes will help us "grow and reach new heights." We have high hopes and plans for Hope Trust in the future. 

Many thanks again for everyone's continued support and generosity. 

You are helping us to help others and it is making a real difference in many lives!

Warm regards and blessings, 

Hope Trust Team

As we begin a new year it is always good to reflect on the previous months and determine if we are still fulfilling our main objectives as a charity - offering support and/or counselling to those contemplating suicide or self-harm or struggling with poor mental health.  Thankfully we have been in a position to increase our capacity during 2025 which should have a positive knock-on effect going forward.

In November 2025 we celebrated 20 years as a charity and celebrate we did! It was a wonderful pleasure to introduce our team of 14 to the invited guests and watch a history of the organisation to the present day.  Our hope for 2026 is to re-establish our training wing, including a new workshop on Mental Health Awareness; advertise our counselling services more widely and to appoint a new CEO.  Which should keep the team very busy.

The unfortunate side of our story is that there is a continued need for our existence as suicide deaths continue at a cohsistently high rate despite interventions! The final CSO report for 2022 of death by suicide was 500, with the largest group falling in the 40-45 year old age group. As there is always a lag awaiting coroner reporting, any later figures are generally estimated numbers, so it will be a while before we know 2025 suicide deaths. However, Minister Mary Butler reported that in 2024 the National Self-Harm Registry Ireland estimated that there was a total of 12,621 self-harm presentations made by 9,436 individuals, which reflects a decrease on previous years in reported cases - unfortunately still too high!

Our experience is that there is increasing anxiety amongst those we meet, whether in the counselling room or the community.  People who are uncertain of their purpose in life, who to connect with for stability or where to turn to when life becomes difficult. Our constant aim is to be bearers of Hope to those who need it and to reflect the support and hope we ourselves have received through Christ.  

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all many meaningful connections this year and a wonderful, hope filled 2026.