ALONE and The Ink Factory team up to combat ageism
PRESS RELEASE
‘Bucket Listers’ prepare to get inked
Dublin, 10th August 2018 ALONE, the charity that supports older people to age at home, has teamed up with The Ink Factory to provide five ALONE service-users with a tattoo of their choosing.
This week, ALONE and The Ink Factory have released a video introducing the Bucket Listers project which aims to empower older people by fighting the stigma around ageing. For the next four weeks, regular videos will introduce the Bucket Listers, a group of five people who are assisted by the efforts of ALONE. These videos will outline each person’s experience with ALONE and their hopes for their new tattoo, before they each get inked by The Ink Factory artists on Sunday, 9th September.
Through the Bucket Listers project, The Ink Factory will raise funds for ALONE by inviting the public to sponsor each person’s tattoo. 100% of online donations will go directly to ALONE.
Priding itself on its inclusive atmosphere, The Ink Factory approached ALONE with the idea to challenge assumptions and encourage ALONE service-users to take them up on a free tattoo.
Tom Lynch, owner of The Ink Factory, said, “We’re delighted to team up with ALONE to launch the Bucket Listers project to both raise funds for this amazing charity and fight the negative perceptions met by older people. Inclusivity is a major part of the Ink Factory DNA and we’re excited for our artists to donate their talents on 9th September, providing a tattoo for each of the five lovely older people taking part.”
“I’ve been with ALONE for the last 12 months. They’ve been very good to me over the year. When I signed up with them, I was losing my own home,” says Michael McCarthy, who is one of the Bucket Listers. “It’s very important as you get older to have friends, and that’s what I like about ALONE.”
Seán Moynihan, CEO of ALONE, said, “ALONE was excited when the Ink Factory reached out with this fantastic idea and the enthusiasm only grew when we approached our service-users. Too often we find that people have a perception that older people are traditional, and aren’t open to new experiences. This is a great opportunity for the participants to express themselves in a new way and we hope it’ll encourage older people to feel empowered and show that life isn’t over when you get older.”
If you want to sponsor an ALONE service-user’s tattoo, go to https://give.everydayhero.com/ie/the-bucket-list-project
To watch the first video, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG599PI2ZsU&feature=youtu.be
For those who have concerns about their own wellbeing, or the wellbeing of a vulnerable older person in the community, ALONE can be contacted on (01) 679 1032 or at www.alone.ie. The charity, which depends on donations from the public, has staff and volunteers ready to act on calls and requests for assistance.
ENDS
About ALONE
Established in 1977, ALONE supports older people to age at home. ALONE works with those who have issues with loneliness and social isolation, lack of services, poor health, poverty, homelessness or housing. ALONE provides Support Coordination, Housing with Support, Befriending and Campaigning services to over 1,000 older people nationwide every week. ALONE’s services are quality approved and are delivered 365 days a year.
For more information contact:
Lauren Freir, Limelight Communications, lauren.freir@limelight.ie, 01 668 0600, 087 238 0853
Kathryn Byrne, Limelight Communications, kathryn.byrne@limelight.ie, 01 668 0600, 085 233 6033
