The Horse Trust is set to raise valuable funds by recycling mobile phones.
The scheme, in partnership with phone recycling firm ShP Solutions of Lancaster, guarantees The Horse Trust approximately £5 per phone recycled, if the charity’s supporters mention the Horse Trust when they donate their phone.
The mobiles are refurbished and then sold on as second-hand phones to emerging markets
Susan Lewis, marketing manager of the Horse Trust, said: “It’s a new recycling scheme which we hope will generate income without expenditure.
“It’s a win-win situation, as we get donations and the third world gets the phones, which is helping them. It seems a very sensible way to raise funds.”
Richard Bowden, head of Shp for Charity, the company’s charity arm, said: “We want to raise money for charity from the corporate world. When the phones come to us we check if they’re stolen and if they’re working, then refurbish them and sell them on to emerging markets.
“If they don’t work we see if we can fix them. We work with over 150 charities.”
According to ShP Solutions there are over 100 million old mobile phones lying around in UK homes, with the average household having three.
Horse Trust supporters can donate their phones using the freepost address ‘Freepost, ShP Solutions, Lancaster’ while ensuring that a note is enclosed indicating their donation is for The Horse Trust.
Alternatively, visitors to the Horse Trust’s Home of Rest for Horses in Speen, Buckinghamshire can bring their old phones to the office and the charity will forward them on to ShP.
www.thehorsetrust.org.uk
