How Virgin Media O2 is providing devices for people in need

Virgin Media O2 has teamed up with environmental charity Hubbub to provide tablets and smartphones to help people in need get online across the UK with a £400,000 device lending scheme.

The Tech Lending Community project, which was set up in 2022, aims to tackle digital exclusion and electronic waste by providing second-hand devices to people in need, while also giving tech a second life and preventing it from ending up in landfill.

Since the launch of the Tech Lending Community scheme, more than 750 people have been loaned a tablet for up to six months at 50 community centres, temporary accommodation or refuge sites across the UK.

Being able to borrow this device has brought joy into my life

One person who was able to borrow a device is Sara*. She said: “Being able to borrow this device has uplifted my mental health and brought joy into my life. I can now connect with my kids through video calls, share my dance videos, and witness their excitement and encouragement first-hand.”

Being able to borrow a device helped make the job hunt easier for John*, who commented: “The tablet lending programme made it possible for me to achieve my goal. I can now look for work in the construction field with confidence and hope for a better future.”

The new funding from Virgin Media O2 will help provide homelessness charities Centrepoint and Thames Reach with more than 500 tablets and smartphones. These will be powered by free O2 mobile data from the National Databank, which was launched by Virgin Media O2 and charity Good Things Foundation.

Ernest Jablonski and Robert Edgar, relief worker at Thames Reach | Patrick Harrison for Thames Reach Employment Academy

The charities will distribute the devices via their services across the country so they can be loaned to those they support. The loaned devices will help people improve their digital skills and access essential online services such as applying for jobs, locating food banks, booking medical appointments, and contacting loved ones.

Refuge, a charity that supports women and children who have experienced domestic abuse, also received 250 tablets from the initiative in 2022 and will continue to receive funding and support to run their device lending scheme.

The tablet lending programme made it possible for me to achieve my goal.

Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “We know that having data and devices can be a lifeline for people in need, enabling them to access essential websites, from applying for jobs, to accessing medical appointments, and to stay in touch with loved ones.

“That’s why initiatives like The Tech Lending Community scheme and National Databank are vital in addressing digital exclusion and data poverty, and help to transform people’s lives in communities across the UK.”

Lisa Waring, Head of Partnerships at Centrepoint, added: “We are really excited to be working with Hubbub on this project funded by Virgin Media O2. The Tech Lending Community will make a huge difference to the young people we work with here at Centrepoint, giving them access to technology by being able to lend second-hand devices.”

Visit Virgin Media O2 to learn more.

*names have been changed