ALONE thanks Gavin James and the public for raising an astonishing €160,000 in support of their services

The organisation has been overwhelmed by the support received from the people of Ireland

Dublin, 3rd April 2020:   The team at ALONE, the organisation that supports older people, want to express their tremendous gratitude to Gavin James, The Late Late Show, and the people of Ireland for raising more than €160,000 to support their work.

The charity has hugely expanded their services since the COVID-19 outbreak in Ireland to meet the needs of older people nationwide, and has launched a national helpline for older people in collaboration with the Department of Health, the HSE, and Local Authorities.

Gavin James and ALONE CEO Seán Moynihan were guests on The Late Late Show with Miriam O’Callaghan on Friday night, with Gavin rounding off the night with an emotional rendition of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’.

“We would like to sincerely thank Gavin James, his fans, and the audience of the Late Late Show for this phenomenal contribution to our services,” said ALONE CEO Seán Moynihan. “We have truly been overwhelmed by the astonishing level of support we have received from every corner of the country over the last few days. It is absolutely unprecedented. We would like to thank the Late Late Show and Miriam O’Callaghan for their support and for inviting us on for what was an unforgettable night.”

He continued, “Even though we are all staying at home, we are part of something bigger and we are all making a difference. We cannot express our gratitude to the Irish people for their amazing generosity during these difficult times. Every person who texted in to donate, everyone who has been running fundraisers and organising events, every business which has lent us their support – every euro makes a difference to our services and we simply can’t thank you enough.”

The €160,000 in donations, raised through online live-streamed performances by Gavin James and an enormous response to the Late Late Show appearance on Friday, will be used to continue ALONE’s work to support older people throughout the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. The ALONE COVID-19 helpline for older people is open from 8am-8pm seven days a week.

ALONE has seen a huge increase in calls to the helpline with queries and concerns relating to COVID-19 since further restrictions were introduced last week, receiving more than 1,000 calls a day this week following the introduction of cocooning measures.  

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 and the HSE, is available to all older people including those who have not used ALONE’s services previously. The support line is designed to complement the clinical advice and information being provided by the HSE through its website and helpline.

To donate to ALONE, text ‘ALONE’ to 50300 to donate €4 or make a donation through www.alone.ie .