No matter who wins the £15,000 Taispeantas na Sionainne award in Athlone tomorrow night, the big winner will be the local Samaritans organisation.
The Shannon Design Awards, the winner of which will receive a £15,000 bursary, is sponsored by Aer Lingus. The awards ceremony will be seen by more than 1,000 people and will also receive extensive television coverage.
All the proceeds will go to the Samaritan organisation in Athlone, which was set up in 1992 to give support to all who are suicidal and need a friendly and non-judgmental voice to help.
According to Ms Deirdre Collins of the Samaritans, who is also chairwoman of Taispeantas '99, there were 10,500 calls for help in the first year that the organisation was operating in the town.
Last year that figure more than doubled to 22,500 calls, which were dealt with by the voluntary staff of 90.
The problems, she says, are the same as experienced everywhere the Samaritans open shop. Although the organisation covers four local counties, they accept calls from all over the State. The office, at Devenish Court in the centre of the town, is open to all comers who are seeking friendship and help.
Last year the Design Award, which is open to students in art colleges on both sides of the Border, raised a much-needed £10,000 for the organisation.
The hope, Ms Collins says, is that this year this figure will be surpassed as other sponsors have come in to add to the occasion, which is a shop window for new designers.
The show, which will be held in the Institute of Technology, will be bilingual. The £10 tickets are available from Music World, Golden Island Shopping Centre, Hodson Bay Hotel and from the RTE offices in Athlone.
The Samaritans in Athlone can be reached by calling 1850 609090.