Darkness Into Light Luxembourg officially launched its 2020 event with a reception at chief sponsor Centralis on Wednesday evening. The 9 May walk, which sets off at 5am, is an initiative aimed at raising awareness of suicide and self-harm and showing support for those who have been bereaved by suicide.

The team announced that Grand Duchess Maria Teresa lends patronage for the Luxembourg event. Irish ambassador Stephen Dawson and his deputy head of mission Teresa Sweeney attended the launch alongside members of the Darkness Into Light Luxembourg committee and representatives of partner organisations.

They include, for the first time, Kanner-Jugendtelefon, the child and youth hotline staffed by volunteers ready to listen to troubled and distressed kids and teenagers and offer guidance where they can on any number of topics. Psychologist Aline Hartz told the gathering that the service, which also takes calls from concerned parents, plans to provide a peer-to-peer service.

Partner organisations of last year’s first ever Darkness Into Light Luxembourg event, SOS Détresse and D'Ligue’s prevention suicide service, are again joining in the effort to promote the 9 May event. Together with Ireland’s Pieta House, the three local organisations will all benefit from monies raised by Darkness Into Light Luxembourg through registration fees and donations.

Dawson said he was delighted to support an event that had “Irish DNA” and told his audience that in Ireland Darkness Into Light had gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2009, with walks taking place all over the country. Walks, like the one in Luxemburg, also now take place all over continental Europe. Last year over 600 people signed up for the Luxembourg event, with more than 350 turning up at the Konvikt Center for what turned out to be a rain-soaked 5km dawn walk through the capital city.

That success has prompted the local organisers to move the start of the walk to the more spacious Tramsschapp in Limpertsberg. That changes the route slightly, but the main stretch down into Clausen and the Grund, offering walkers spectacular views of the old city as the sun rises, remains the same. Emma Farrell, one of the three initiators of the Luxembourg event alongside Lynda Jacob and Caoimhe Alliot-Stenson, has this year enlisted the help of Luxembourg’s Gaelic sportsmen and women from the local GAA group to volunteer as stewards along the route.

To sign up for the event, visit the Darkness Into Light website and choose Luxembourg from the drop down “country” menu.