On the 4th of March, Samantha Kelly (@tweetinggoddess) used the hashtag #selfisolation on Twitter, asking her followers to bear in mind their elderly and vulnerable neighbours and support them as they self-isolated. Helen O'Rahilly (@HelenORahilly) followed up, within minutes, with the first offer of practical help and launching the new hashtag #selfisolationhelp, intending to generate volunteers around the country, with requests to add your town, village or city to the end of the hashtag.

Cóilín Duffy joined us to tell us how this went from a hashtag to a network of over 7,600 volunteers ready to help those who need it during this time of crisis. It is a brilliant initiative and will last well beyond this Covid-19 pandemic.

You can contact them on localsupport.ie or text 087 365 8233.

Join us: patreon.com/tortoiseshack