ALONE Marks 10 years of Christmas Tree Deliveries to Older People

For the 10th year running, ALONE, Andy Kenny and Firtree.ie team up to deliver fully decorated Christmas trees to tenants of Willie Bermingham Place. 

Dublin, 14th December ALONE, the national organisation that supports older people to age well at home, marked a special anniversary by delivering fully decorated Christmas trees to residents of ALONE’s Willie Bermingham Place in Dublin 8. 

Andy Kenny, who coordinates the deliveries, was inspired to get involved after hearing about an 85-year-old man’s reaction to having a Christmas tree for the first time in decades. Since then, the partnership between Andy, his sister Breda Kenny, his volunteers, ALONE, and Theo from Firtree.ie has blossomed into an annual tradition for the residents of Willie Bermingham Place. Today, the collaboration celebrated its 10th anniversary. 

The trees were provided, decorated and delivered entirely free of charge to all residents of Willie Bermingham Place, alongside dinners provided by Fitzgeralds: The Homestead Bar in Cabra. 

ALONE CEO Seán Moynihan commented: “The theme of our Christmas campaign is Share Your Warmth, and that’s exactly what Andy and his volunteers have done by spreading a bit of Christmas cheer to the tenants in Wilie Bermingham Place. It’s become something they look forward to as soon as the calendar starts drifting towards December, and it never disappoints.  We are incredibly grateful to Andy for his dedication and generosity over the past decade—this tradition simply wouldn’t exist without his commitment. It’s such a joyous occasion and a testament to the kind-heartedness of Andy, his volunteers and the team at Firtree.ie” 

Reflecting on the challenges faced by older people over Christmas, Moynihan said: “We all know that Christmas can be a very lonely time for some people. Two-thirds of the older people we support live alone and organising a tree can be difficult. Share Your Warmth is about reaching out at this time to year to let older people know that they’re appreciated, they’re cared for and that support is available if they find themselves in need”. 

So far in 2025, ALONE has supported almost 42,000 older people. In the lead-up to Christmas, ALONE staff have made nearly 20,000 calls to older people to check in on their needs. In December alone, ALONE volunteers will clock up well over 22,000 hours to support older people in communities across the country. 

Andy Kenny said of this year’s 10th anniversary, “My sister Breda and I are delighted to be providing Christmas trees and dinners to the residents of ALONE in Kilmainham. It’s our favourite day of the year, with lots of Christmas music, singing, decorating, food and chatting with our old friends. It doesn’t get more festive. We’re delighted to be celebrating our 10th year and a huge thanks to firtree.ie, who have always donated the trees.” 

ALONE is encouraging anyone to contact them to refer an older person or to seek support for themselves via the National Support & Referral Line on 0818 222 024.