Recently, we hosted a celebration event in Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI) to share our collective achievements as part of the HUGS@Home programme.

PJ Gallagher joined us as a special guest- he made us laugh and cry in equal proportions with his remarkable story and was super engaging and generous with his time! Huge thanks to our wonderful panel members Sonia Rennicks, Anne Bowler, Mark Hensey and Fran Power for sharing their insightful experiences as HUGS@Home participants and co-design team members and to Helena Dilleen of Giddy Studios for her mindfulness and creative expertise, reminding us that self-care is essential for us all!

Our project lead Michelle O’Toole was our master of ceremonies, our very own Brian Doyle bamboozled us all with his statistical wizardry, and thank you to photographer Paul Kelly who really captured the essence of our programme in his beautiful photos.

We are so grateful for the support we have received so far from Movember, the RCSI Sim Centre for Simulation and Research, and our community partners Mental Health Ireland and Dublin Civil Defence. We are eternally grateful and privileged to each and every participant who embraced their vulnerability as part of our training to enhance their own and their family and friends’ wellbeing.

Now that we know ‘it works’, watch this space for exciting HUGS collaborations! ❤️

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