Virgin Media O2 urges people to donate unused smartphones to help disadvantaged children manage diabetes

• Virgin Media O2 has provided 1,000 refurbished smartphones via Community Calling to charity, Supporting Children with Diabetes, and pledged a further 500 devices to help low-income families manage Type 1 diabetes
• The devices are helping families across the UK to check their children’s blood glucose levels in real-time, which can help keep the condition under control
• It’s part of Virgin Media O2’s commitment to provide 12,000 devices and data to people who need them throughout 2025

Virgin Media O2 is encouraging people to donate their unwanted smartphones to its Community Calling programme which can help children from disadvantaged backgrounds more easily manage their diabetes with the latest technology.

It comes as the company, which partnered with the Labour Party on this issue in April 2024, has now provided 1,000 refurbished smartphones via Community Calling to charity, Supporting Children with Diabetes (SCD), which is distributing the devices through NHS trusts to families whose children have Type 1 diabetes.

Virgin Media O2 is extending its support by committing to donate a further 500 devices to the charity over the next year.

The public can lend their support to Supporting Children with Diabetes by donating an unwanted smartphone to Community Calling via this link.

Transforming lives

With the devices, which pair to a monitor placed on the arm or abdomen, families can see their children’s glucose levels in real-time throughout the day, helping them keep the condition under control.

Zoubir is a father of two daughters aged 10 and 11 years old, who each received a free smartphone to manage their diabetes. He said:

“We are parents of two young girls living with Type 1 diabetes. Thanks to the support of SCD, both of our daughters received mobile phones that have completely transformed how we manage their condition. Before this, they couldn’t reliably access their diabetes technology, and we were often unable to monitor their glucose levels when they were away from us.

“The phones provided through SCD have changed that. Our daughters can now use their continuous glucose monitoring apps safely and consistently, and we can keep an eye on their levels in real time. This support has given us peace of mind, helped keep our girls safe at school and during activities, and allowed them greater independence without compromising their health.

“We are incredibly grateful for what SCD has made possible for our family. This simple piece of technology has made a profound difference to our daily lives, and we hope that other families can be supported with donated phones to help them, too.”

Nicola Green Chief Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:

“As someone who is a Type 1 diabetic, I know first-hand the role technology and connectivity play in keeping diabetes under control.

“That’s why Virgin Media O2’s donation to Supporting Children with Diabetes is so important as the devices are a vital tool in helping families monitor and manage this serious condition.

“With millions of unused smartphones gathering dust in drawers and cupboards across the UK, people have got the power to donate a device to transform a child’s life, and it’s quick and easy to do through our Community Calling programme.”

Carolyn Goldhill, Founder and CEO of Supporting Children with Diabetes, said:

“These devices are a game-changer for low-income families across the UK.

“It means children no longer need to be pricked multiple times a day to check their glucose levels as the results go straight to a smartphone. This allows their parents to log in remotely and monitor the condition more easily, so that children and their parents can lead more normal, active lives.

“NHS trusts across the UK rely on these much needed devices and value the contribution of Virgin Media O2.”

Leading the way

This partnership brings to life Virgin Media O2’s work to address digital exclusion and to reduce electronic waste (e-waste) by providing unused phones to people who need them.  This is helping people experiencing financial difficulties to get online, access essential services, to manage their health condition, and to stay in touch with their loved ones.

This forms part of Virgin Media O2’s sustainability strategy, the Better Connections Plan and its goals to connect one million digitally excluded people through free and affordable connectivity and services, and to encourage consumers to carry out 10 million circular actions – both by the end of 2025.

This includes:

• Virgin Media O2’s pledge to donate up to 12,000 devices to people who need them throughout 2025.
• Community Calling, launched in partnership with environmental charity, Hubbub, in 2020, which has now rehomed more than 26,000 smartphones, and the Tech Lending Community scheme, which rehomed tablets with people experiencing homelessness and survivors of domestic abuse.
• Its pioneering Time After Time fund which provided £1m to help charities, community groups, and the public sector run programmes that prevented e-waste, championed reuse, repair or recycling of laptops, smartphones and tablets.
• The company being a founding signatory of the Government’s IT Reuse for Good charter, which promotes a reuse-first approach to devices.
• Helping consumers trade in their unwanted tech via its O2 Recycle service which has recycled more than 4 million devices and paid out more than £354 million to consumers since 2009.
• Offering a range of ‘Like New’ refurbished phones for customers who want a second life device.
• Comprehensive measures to help people stay connected, such as the National Databank, available at O2 stores nationwide, and broadband and mobile social tariffs  for people who receive government support payments.