A new free service for communities that have suffered a tragedy has been made available by the Make the Moove charity.

A crisis response team will respond when requested by Make the Moove to communities in need of crisis response.

A crisis in this case is an unexpected event that has resulted in trauma to many members of a community, such as sudden unexpected deaths or serious injury.

The crisis response team is staffed by former members of the Irish Defence Forces who have developed the skills required over many years to commence the healing process within the community after such an event.

The team will also carry out mental first aid triage and will refer people for further assistance to counselling or HSE services.

Self-harm

Make the Moove is a charity within a charity that was founded by Macra members in north Tipperary in 2018 to address the horrendous rise in the levels of self-harm and suicide among farmers and other rural dwellers.

This initiative has been bolstered by support from UCD Agri Mental Health Group, whose research released in October 2022 found that almost 25% of farmers surveyed were in danger of suicide.

FBD Trust brought Make the Moove and UCD together with a hope that common ground could be found.

Speaking at the launch of the Make the Moove crisis response team, FBD Trust chair Michael Berkery said: “The FBD Trust was founded to fund philanthropic works that support farmers and their communities.

“As such, we are very proud to support this vital initiative, which provides services that can and has saved lives.

"I am delighted FBD Trust has played a part in bringing together two organisations such as Macra and UCD which are part of the fabric of rural Ireland.”

Break the cycle

Macra president Elaine Houlihan said that she hopes the crisis response team will help to break this vicious cycle that is breaking communities apart.

“If we cannot support our rural communities in their most difficult times, then we are no longer a society that we should be proud of,” she said.

Make the Moove can be contacted by emailing makethemoove@macra.ie or through the Make the Moove website.