Feb
04
I was asked to do a photocall recently for a fantastic event that is taking place on Valentines night to raise funds for Turn2me and The Irish Heart Foundation. Turn2me is a charity which was set up by Oisin and Diarmuid Scollard who lost their brother Cormac to suicide in 2003. Turn2me.org is an online mental health community providing peer and professional support to people in distress. Trained moderators and counsellors provide free online forum and group supports as well as 1 to 1 counselling services for people suffering from all varieties of mental illness such as depression and anxiety and aims to prevent suicide whenever and wherever possible. It is a cause that is very close to my heart as I have friends and family that have been affected by both suicide and depression. Also in these times it is especially prevalent as people are finding it harder and harder to cope.
Here is the information about the event and if you would like to take part, visit www.give2go.ie and register now.
DARE TO ‘BARE YOUR SOUL’ ON A VALENTINE’S NIGHT WITH A DIFFERENCE
Turn2Me.org and The Irish Heart Foundation’s Nearly Naked Run
Fancy doing something a little bit different this Valentine’s Day? Turn2me.org and The Irish Heart Foundation are daring you to bare all (or even just a little bit!) on their 500 metre heart shaped track on the beach on Sandymount Strand from 7-8pm on the 14th Feb. Whatever you wear (or don’t wear) it’s all for a great cause.
Valentines night is usually the night to wine and dine your loved one, however many couples choose to stay in on Valentine’s night rather than face packed restaurants of cooing couples. So if you are one of those couples who would rather avoid an evening of culinary coupledom or if you’re single here is your alternative option.
Oisin Scollard, Founder of turn2me.org which is an online mental health community providing peer and professional support to people in distress said “The short love heart distance takes only three minutes so anyone and everyone can take part and it can be walked, sprinted or crawled. Everyone will be encouraged to remove as much clothing as they feel comfortable with. Nudity IS encouraged and we will have a body painter on site for the brave nudies! We will also have hot drinks and blankets at the finish line for all participants”.
Everyone interested in taking place must register with a deposit of €10 at www.give2go.ie and must also raise an additional €20 to take part. All money raised will be divided evenly between The Irish Heart Foundation and Turn2me.org.
“Turn2me will actively support lives, build lives and save lives at the times people need us most. The charity’s vision for the future is to create a world where mental health issues are acknowledged and accepted. Where every person in distress will feel confident to openly access the support services they need, safe in the knowledge that attitudes have changed based on a communal understanding and willingness to support each other.”
The Irish Heart Foundation thought this unique fundraiser was a fun fit for their charity. Aidan Stacey, Head of Fundraising at the Irish Heart Foundation said: “At the IHF we encourage young and old to get active for the good of their hearts and it is especially fitting to invite everyone to put their hearts into a fun run on Valentine’s evening. Normally our supporters wear their heart on their sleeve by donning our red t-shirts… but on this occasion, it’s all about baring not wearing!”.
Aidan continued “Bare Your Soul is not only a great opportunity to have the craic and get your heart pumping, it will also raise vital funds for two great causes. Remember every goose-bumpy step you take will raise money to support our work across research, health promotion, resuscitation training and patient support, all of which help us prevent more people developing heart disease and stroke, the biggest cause of death in Ireland.”
Registration is from 6pm-7pm with the first run taking place at 7pm and every 3 mins after that until 7.57pm.
I hope you can make it!
Lots of love,
Model: Cristíona Aston
Photographer: Leon Farrell
Bodypainter: Emma Farrell
