A leading mental health charity with a substantial Galway footprint is calling on people across the country to take a plunge into the cold water this October to raise funds for their vital services.

Helplink Mental Health has announced the return of its annual COLDTOBER fundraising challenge, which encourages participants to take a daily dip in the sea, lake, or river throughout the month of October.

The initiative began in 2020 when a group of students from NUI Galway embarked on a daily sea swimming challenge from Blackrock at the end of the Prom. Their inspiring efforts raised €15,000 for Helplink’s mental health services and laid the groundwork for the national COLDTOBER event that followed.

Since then, COLDTOBER has grown into a phenomenon, with participants from 21 counties across Ireland taking part including locations as diverse as the rugged coastline of Galway to the serene shores of Cork, showcasing the growing interest in cold water therapy and its potential benefits for mental health.

COLDTOBER has also attracted participants from across the globe, demonstrating its universal appeal and the power of collective action for mental health.

Individuals have braved the chilly waters of lakes in Canada, Castle Island Beach in Boston, the Pacific Ocean in Indonesia, and even the sacred Ganges River in India. This year the charity is hoping to see even more participation from Irish abroad, particularly those who have emigrated in recent years.

Helplink Mental Health – with its base at the Plaza on the Headford Road in Galway city – is a leading provider of accessible, free or low-cost mental health services for children, young people, and adults.

It offers counselling, information provision, and education services 24/7, both nationally and internationally. For more information, see https://www.helplink.ie.

Funds raised from COLDTOBER directly support Helplink’s vital mental health services, including free and low-cost counselling for children, young people, and adults, available 24/7, nationwide, and their Irish Abroad counselling service which is available online.

To register as an individual or a team, visit https://www.helplink.ie/coldtober/

Pictured at the launch of COLDTOBER in aid of Helplink Mental Health were (from left) Linda Conor, Nuasan; Jörg Müller, Solaris Tea; Evin Cusack, Chair of Board, Helplink; Laura Condon Executive Director, Helplink; Karin Mueller, Solaris Tea; Eric Hennelly Flanagan, Non-Executive Director, Helplink, and Finn Byrne, Portwest.