Talk to Tom to train 100 people thanks to €400
Gorey-based charity Talk to Tom received a cheque for €400 raised by the staff in the Bagel Bar at Gorey Shopping Centre from a recent coffee morning.
The money raised will go towards training 100 people for the QPR programme, which stands for Question, Persuade and Refer. They will learn how to recognise the vital warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to help someone.
Talk to Tom is about saving lives and preventing suicide by breaking down barriers with financial, emotional and educational support.
CEO of Talk to Tom Ray Cullen said the staff sold coffee and cake for €5 per person.
‘It was their very first time raising money like this for us,’ said Ray. ‘They said they will do another one in the summer on a bigger scale for us.’
The training programme was brought here to Ireland in 2013 by Ray and his team. Since then, they have trained over 2,000 people in the community.
‘Even though the staff at the Bagel Bar were not entirely happy at first with the money raised, they were very pleased when I told them that it will provide training to 100 people,’ added Ray.
Ray said they have done the QPR training all over Ireland to other suicide prevention charities and An Garda Síochana.
If interested, people can sign up and register today at www.talktotom.ie