Happy Christmas from all of us at Boards!

Boards.ie: Mark

We're almost ready to pull the curtain down on 2020, and I doubt there will be many to see the back of it! Before we go any further, we should say that we know that the holiday period can be a difficult time for some people for a variety of reasons. On top of that, it has been a stressful year and if you are having a tough time, you don't have to do it alone; you can get help and support from several places, which we have listed here.

This year, discussion was dominated by Coronavirus (COVID-19). As a result, a dedicated forum was set up for the topic. There have been countless conversations taking place in the forum as well as across the site where forums have specialised interests. In addition to all of these threads, there have been 29(!) dedicated megathreads with approximately 10,000 posts in each. Hopefully there won't be as much to discuss next year, but I won't be holding my breath!

There were some changes on the site as well. Unsolved Mysteries were brought into the fold under True Crime, now True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries. Yoga & Pilates was moved to Recreation & Hobbies and picked up the aspect of Meditation along the way. After a stressful year, or one eye on new resolutions for 2021, this forum may be one to dip into. We've also closed up or merged some of our quieter forums and this will continue into next year.

As in previous years, we'd like to say that everyone deserves some time off over the Christmas period. Please be patient over the next few weeks as Mods, CMods, Admins, and staff take some time to spend with friends, family and pets, even though that might look different than it has in previous years.

We'd like to thank you all for your wonderful contributions, your kindness, helpfulness, generosity, and support to your fellow members throughout what has been a particularly challenging year.

Happy Christmas to all those who celebrate it and if you have some time off, we hope that you'll enjoy it. Take care of yourself, stay safe, and we will chat to you again in the new year.

All the best!
Mark, Niamh, and all of the Boards.ie team

Boards.ie: Mark

We recognise that this is not a good time of year for everyone and for some people it is the worst time of year.

If you feel you need to talk to someone, here are some helpful numbers and websites of people you can contact:

Samaritans - how we can help you or FREE call number 116 123 available 24/7.

Aware (supporting depression) 1800 80 48 48 Daily 10am – 10pm

Turn2Me.org No phoneline but website might be of help.

Gay Switchboard Ireland - (01) 872 1055 6.30pm - 9pm, 7 days per week | email: ask@gayswitchboard.ie | IM on their Facebook page here.

Parentline - guiding parents, supporting families Lo Call 1890 927 277 or 01 8733500 Monday–Thursday 10 a.m. – 9.00 p.m. and Friday 10a.m. – 4.00 p.m

Childline 1800 66 66 66 or Free text TALK to 50101

Teenline 1800 833 634 available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul 01 8386990 - you will find the numbers for individual area offices on the site linked.

Fr Peter McVerry Trust 01 823 0776 National Head Office (9am-5pm Mon-Fri) | 087 912 3989 Information and advice number for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness (9am-5pm Mon-Fri)

Simon Community

Focus Ireland

HOMELESS HELPLINE at 1800 707 707 (Dublin only, Central Placement Service)

You can also find more helpful sites and numbers in this sticky in After Hours and this sticky in Personal Issues. Take care.