Donegal County Council is to plant a ’Tree of Hope’ in each of the five Municipal Districts in the county to commemorate and remember those who have died by suicide.
There are currently two Trees of Hope in Donegal, one in Letterkenny and the other on Tory Island (pictured above) and Sinn Féin Councillor Gary Doherty called for one to be planted in the MDs in the county.
“What it does is that it provides a place of comfort to survivors or relatives of those who have died and they can memorialise their loved ones,” Councillor Doherty said.
“It is also a place of comfort for those who are living with depression or with suicidal thoughts. It would be an appropriate gesture to commemorate and remember those we have lost.
“More people die by taking their own lives than die on our roads. Suicide is reaching epidemic proportions and there is barely a family that hasn’t been affected by suicide.
“My hope is that by taking this initiative that we will provide some small token of support.”
Donegal County Council Director of Services Liam Ward said that tree planting ceremonies could take place around Social Inclusion Week in October.
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