ALONE, Gavin James and Bonfire team up for the launch of the charity’s ‘Now more than ever’ video campaign
ALONE, the organisation which supports older people, have teamed up with Gavin James and Bonfire Dublin to release their ‘Now more than ever’ campaign, a series of short videos on loneliness featuring Gavin James’s music, which call on members of the public to stay in touch with the older people they know who may be feeling lonely whilst cocooning. All six videos are available to watch here.
Over the past few weeks, Gavin has reached his fundraising target and raised an astonishing €200,000 to support ALONE to continue their work with older people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The team at ALONE are hugely grateful to Gavin James for his support, and to all members of the public who have donated.
ALONE CEO Seán Moynihan stated “Our call now to people of all ages is to stay in touch with your older family members and neighbours. In recent days and weeks we have received increasing numbers of calls from older people experiencing loneliness and isolation. Many have now been cocooning for more than a month and this has proven to be a huge challenge in terms of mental health and wellbeing. Now more than ever, the older people we know need our support. We are delighted to be working with Bonfire to produce this video campaign, which we hope will encourage people to get in touch with older people in their lives in a safe way.”
The videos, which feature music from Gavin James’ track ‘Nervous’, remind people of all ages that while older people need support at this time, staying in touch is vital for all our wellbeing.
Moynihan continued, “We have called for a national strategy on loneliness in order to address this on a long-term basis. Loneliness is a serious issue among older people which has been exacerbated by the current situation. However, people of all ages are finding this period hugely challenging in terms of staying connected and staying in touch. We’re reminding everyone that you might need that call as much as your older relative.”
“We are so grateful to Gavin for his continued support and for raising an amazing €200,000 to help us to continue our work with older people in need amid the COVID-19 crisis. A huge thank you to everyone who has donated so far. Your support and donations help us to make a real difference to older people who are struggling during this time.”
ALONE is encouraging older people who need advice or support to call their support line, 0818 222 024 from 8am-8pm, seven days a week. The support line, which is running in collaboration with the Department of Health, the HSE and Local Authorities, is available to all older people who need support relating to COVID-19 and issues relating to physical and mental health, loneliness, isolation, finances, housing and other challenges.