A Year of Growth, Connection and Hope in Suicide Bereavement Support
HUGG, Ireland’s national suicide bereavement organisation, has published its Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025.
This year marked a period of growth, reflection and innovation as we launched our new five-year strategy, Connection and Hope: Transforming Lives Together, and continued to expand how we support people bereaved by suicide across Ireland.
Expanding suicide bereavement support in Ireland
Throughout the year, we continued to provide safe, peer-led support to adults bereaved by suicide. Our support groups remain at the heart of our work, offering connection, understanding and shared experience for people navigating suicide loss.
In addition, our telephone support line continued to be a vital point of contact for people seeking support after bereavement by suicide in moments of distress, isolation or uncertainty.
Alongside this, we developed more flexible and community-based supports, including Pop-Up Grief Cafés, Suicide Memorial Quilt workshops and HUGG Walks. These initiatives reflect our commitment to ensuring support is accessible in different ways, not just in traditional group settings.
Importantly, we recognise that suicide bereavement is complex and can bring emotional, practical and social challenges, including stigma and isolation. Reducing stigma and ensuring people feel able to talk about suicide loss remains central to our mission.
Understanding suicide loss and bereavement support
Often many people come to HUGG searching for support after suicide loss or trying to understand what happens after someone dies by suicide. Others are looking for information, reassurance, or connection at a very difficult time.
To help meet these needs, we provide support for people navigating all aspects of suicide bereavement, including emotional grief, isolation, and practical challenges that can arise following a death by suicide. Our telephone support line, peer support groups and information resources are designed to ensure that no one has to face suicide loss alone.
We also recognise that suicide bereavement can include engagement with processes such as inquests in Ireland, and we aim to offer compassionate support as people navigate these experiences.
Moments that matter
While the work is often challenging, 2025 was also marked by moments of courage and connection. We saw people take their first steps into support after long periods of isolation and begin to reconnect with life in ways that felt possible again.
These moments remind us why HUGG exists, and why peer support plays such an important role in recovery and connection after suicide loss.
CEO Statement
2025 was a year of consolidation, innovation and growth for HUGG. It marked the launch of our new five-year strategy and demonstrated what is possible when lived experience, evidence-informed practice and community support come together with purpose.
At the same time, we continued to strengthen our core services, including our telephone support line and peer support groups, while also expanding community-based initiatives to meet people where they are. We know that no single approach works for everyone, and flexibility is essential in suicide bereavement support.
Furthermore, we are also aware that suicide bereavement is not only grief, but also stigma, isolation, and the challenge of navigating systems not designed for people affected by suicide loss. Addressing this remains central to our work.
I want to thank our staff, volunteers, funders, partners and donors for their continued support. Most importantly, I want to thank every person who reached out to HUGG this year — your trust shapes everything we do.
We also welcomed confirmation of additional HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) funding for 2026, which will strengthen our capacity to expand services in the year ahead.
Chairperson Statement
As Chairperson of HUGG, I am pleased to present our Annual Report and Financial Statements for 2025.
Demand for suicide bereavement support in Ireland remains high, reflecting the ongoing impact of suicide on families and communities. HUGG’s role is to ensure that people bereaved by suicide have access to compassionate, peer-led support when they need it most.
Throughout the year, the Board focused on governance, oversight and strategic development, including the creation of our new five-year strategy to 2029.
A key focus of this strategy is reaching people who are less likely to engage with traditional supports, including men, young adults, LGBTQ+ communities, members of the Traveller community and older adults.
We continue to invest in strengthening governance, systems and sustainability to ensure HUGG remains resilient and able to meet both current and future needs.
I would like to thank our staff, volunteers, CEO Fiona Tuomey and her team for their commitment throughout the year, as well as our funders and partners for their continued support. The confirmation of increased NOSP funding for 2026 is a welcome endorsement of HUGG’s work and impact.
Looking ahead
Looking ahead, we move into the next phase of our work with determination and hope, committed to ensuring that no one has to face suicide loss alone, and that everyone bereaved by suicide can find connection, understanding and support.
Finding support after suicide bereavement
If you are affected by suicide loss, you may find the following HUGG resources helpful:
- What happens at a HUGG support group – understanding what to expect and how peer support works.
- HUGG Telephone Support Line – peer support when you need someone to talk to – you will be speaking with someone who is also bereaved
- Webinar: Understanding the Coroner’s Inquest in Ireland – guidance on what to expect and how the process works