Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub are spearheading a £400,000 tech lending initiative, delivering a plethora of tablets and smartphones to UK residents in need. The Tech Lending Community scheme, established in 2022, targets digital exclusion and e-waste reduction. It provides a second chance for technology and a lifeline for individuals, ensuring access to digital resources while averting the accumulation of tech waste in landfills.

Virgin Media O2, alongside the Good Things Foundation, is bolstering digital inclusion with a new funding initiative that will equip Centrepoint and Thames Reach with over 500 devices, supported by free O2 data from the National Databank. This nationwide device loan program will help improve digital skills and access to essential services. Refuge will also continue its device lending, supported by Reconome’s refurbishment efforts. This is part of Virgin Media O2’s Better Connections Plan to connect one million people by 2025, emphasising sustainable and socially responsible practices.

Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2 states that “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. The latter accentuated this move saying that “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.”

Similarly, Hubbub’s CEO, Alex Robinson highlighted that “The Tech Lending Community (TLC), in partnership with Virgin Media O2, has shown us the tangible impact a second-hand device coupled with free connectivity can have on someone’s life..” and that “Hubbub is thrilled to be launching a second phase of TLC, working alongside homelessness charities Thames Reach and Centrepoint, and Refuge, a charity supporting women and children experiencing domestic violence, to provide an additional 520 tablets and smartphones for them to lend to their service users”.