The organisers of the annual Darkness Into Light walk in Waterford city said they are not running the event this year in protest at the decision by Pieta to close its Waterford premises.
The 5km walk is held annually to raise funds for the charity, which focuses on suicide prevention and providing self-harm support.
This year's walk will get under way at various locations across the country at 4.15am tomorrow.
However, a number of Darkness Into Light events will not take place in Waterford city and county this year.
Those who are usually behind these events said they have opted not to organise the walk this year because of the decision by the charity's head office to close its Pieta South East premises at Waterside, Waterford city.
However, Pieta said it is continuing to maintain its services in Waterford and that it is just moving to a new location.
The charity said it is moving from standalone rented accommodation to a "co-located model" with other health and community partners in Waterford.
The location for its new premises has not been announced and neither has when the move is scheduled to take place.
Pieta said it is making progress on the move and that, in the meantime, its services are being retained at its current location at Waterside.
The charity added that its resources are being directed toward clinical delivery rather than building and facility costs.
In an interview with RTÉ News this evening, Pieta CEO Stephanie Manahan confirmed that three people out of a staff of seven in Waterford would be losing their jobs as a result of the changes.
She said the three affected are clerical and not therapy staff.
Ms Manahan also said she was not at liberty to say where in the city the charity would be moving premises to, saying "final discussions" were taking place.
She also said that the charity was not reducing or changing its therapy services in the city, saying it will "always be there for the people of Waterford", and that it was committed to the city.
She said "unfortunately" the Waterford committee are "very attached" to the current premises, adding that the charity did not own the building and were tenants of it.
Waterford City Darkness Into Light committee chairperson Des Purcell said the details surrounding the Pieta move are still not known.
Mr Purcell said: "They are closing that facility that has been in Waterford for the last nine or ten years. They have told us that. They were unclear on what they are doing [next].
"This facility was fully professionally staffed by qualified counsellors. It is a very substantial loss to the community given the type of facilities that were being provided.
"The committee were also annoyed at the manner of the announcement."
Pieta said it is "disappointed" at the committee’s decision not to hold its usual walk this year.
Ms Manahan stressed the importance of the charity’s flagship fundraiser.
In a statement, she said: "We will continue to maintain our service levels in Waterford, for example, in 2025, Pieta therapists supporting Waterford worked with 359 people and delivered 1,561 support sessions.
"We understand there has been concern among our supporters in Waterford. We have reassured our local Waterford community that our level of support for people remains unchanged.
"We are, of course, disappointed at the decision not to hold the usual Darkness Into Light walk this year. Darkness Into Light is our flagship fundraiser, and we rely heavily on the donations it brings in to keep our services going.
"We would like to thank the wider Waterford community for the incredible support for Pieta. While this particular Darkness Into Light walk is not taking place this year, there is a walk taking place in Ballymacarbry, and a number of local groups have signed up to our Take Part Your Own Way initiative," Ms Manahan added.
With the traditional Darkness Into Light walk not going ahead in parts of Waterford this year, similar-themed events have been organised, but in aid of other charities.
Fionnuala Cromer started doing the Darkness Into Light walk in Waterford around 15 years ago and subsequently began organising the Tramore edition of the event during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year, Ms Cromer has organised a new event titled the 'Sunrise Stroll' that will take place in Tramore tomorrow in aid of local suicide prevention organisation, Re-A-Suir.
Ms Cromer said the idea for the event came about after learning the Darkness Into Light walk was not going ahead as she still wanted to promote the sense of togetherness and support that remains in the community.
She said: "My reasons for doing the walk are simple… everybody has been touched in some shape or form by suicide.
"But it is not just suicide. It is the wider picture. We need more resources to help people of all ages in terms of counselling. It's the talking, the chats, the cups of tea, the 3am phone calls if people are feeling low (that we need to think about)."
Pieta has said a total of 177 Darkness Into Light walks will still take place across the country in the early hours of tomorrow morning.
Helpline:
Web: www.pieta.ie
Text: HELP to 51444
Helpline: 1800 247 247
Phone: 0818111126
Email: info@pieta.ie
