CinemaTogether.ie is launching this week.
This is a new online communications platform acknowledging the place that cinemas hold in Irish communities. Not only are cinemas the home of a big screen where our imagination is fuelled by creative stories and a gateway to another world, but importantly also the source of a shared experience. They are a place where for decades people have come together, met others and, for a few hours, escaped day to day life.
As cinemas gradually reopen, people visiting CinemaTogether.ie can click through to their local cinema and check their latest information about opening dates and social distancing protocols. In addition, anyone with questions about safety and hygiene for future cinema visits can send queries to marketing@wideeyemedia.com Answers will be collated, shared back on CinemaTogether.ie and through individual cinema websites.
To mark its launch, #CinemaTogether is acknowledging another pillar of society that harnesses the power of shared experiences – the charity ALONE. Since March, calls in and out of ALONE’s Support Line has exceed 125,000 calls. Their work has been helped by a team of over 2,706 incredible volunteers providing support to more than 12,616 older people who require support for difficulties with loneliness, health, finance, housing, accessing services, COVID-19 and other challenges.
Without any cost to individuals, online visitors can raise money for ALONE through CinemaTogether.ie by completing a small favour which will cost them nothing. This favour is to click on the CinemaTogether.ie website map, watch a couple of short cinema style ads and a lovely 3-minute story about how ALONE used a local cinema previously to thank their own community of volunteers. By simply spending a few minutes watching this content, time is being converted into money for ALONE.
Wide Eye Media, the company behind the CinemaTogether.ie site, is donating all advertising profits from the platform to ALONE for the entire launch period.
Seán Moynihan, ALONE CEO said, “We are very grateful to Wide Eye Media for their inclusion of ALONE while launching their new initiative #CinemaTogether. With many facing increasingly challenging circumstances due to COVID-19, which will continue into the weeks and months ahead, this assistance you are providing to us will secure our ability to work with older people during these unsettling times and into the future.”
He continued, “A group of older people ALONE support has attended the IFI’s “Wild Strawberry” club for a number of years now. They enjoy this cinema occasion immensely and it really demonstrates social prescription at its best. This cinema visit takes on the role of lifting morale and spirits for our older people essential for their mental health and well being. Your support and donations help us to make a real difference to people who are struggling during this time.”
As a direct result of ALONE’s Covid-19 mobilisation the following impacts have been made:
- Over 18,203 units of practical support via our volunteers have been processed,
- And there have been 1,653 non-COVID support plans formulated.
Eoin Wrixon CEO of Wide Eye Media adds, “Wide Eye Media are delighted to be working with Alone on #CinemaTogether. The cinema is an entertaining part of a local community for so many people. As we await the welcome return of cinema on the 20th of July, CinemaTogether.ie will provide a platform to inform cinema goers while also raising funds for Alone.”
Please make use of the campaign hashtag #CinemaTogether
