Older persons' charity boosts mobile phone recycling campaign

Gloucestershire Older Persons' Association (GOPA) has donated a boxful of nearly 100 old mobile phones to the campaign being run by Lister Unified Communications and Punchline-Gloucester.com.

The old phones will be refurbished or recycled to help The Nelson Trust, the Stroud-based charity which brings belief, hope and long-term recovery to lives affected by substance use and multiple disadvantages.

If the phones are in working order they get swiped of any details and are passed on directly to the trust, who give them mainly to abused women and men, who have escaped from an abusive partner. The controlling nature means they have had their phones taken off of them. We enable them to have the communication and freedom they need.

The phones that no longer work are broken up for their metals. Each phone is worth around £1 - not much, but if we collect enough of them it makes a difference. We give 100% of all the money raised to the trust.

Jim Rollinson, secretary of Gloucestershire Older Persons' Association, said: "We have been collecting printer cartridges and mobile phones to raise money for GOPA but the people we used to use no longer take mobile phones so we had 90 phones that had been taken by various people over the last two or three years looking for a home.

"I read in Punchline-Gloucester.com that you were sourcing them for The Nelson Trust so we felt that was an appropriate home."

Mark Owen, editor of Punchline-Gloucester.com, said: "The mobile phone campaign is going from strength to strength. If you have any old mobile phones, please get in touch with us. We need mobile phone 'champions' to collect them across their businesses, parishes and from their families. Everybody has an old mobile phone hidden in their house somewhere.

"Stick them in a cardboard box or bag and we will come and pick them up. Let's raise as much money as possible for The Nelson Trust."

If you have a quantity of old mobile phones to donate or if you are interested in becoming a mobile phone recycling champion, email mark@moosemarketingandpr.co.uk.