Over the festive period, JT announced that it would be donating up to 1,000 older-model 2G smartphones – together with £3 of free credit – to needy Islanders to help them stay in contact with relatives as part of the JEP’s Jersey Together Christmas campaign.
Two Jersey charities – Citizens Advice and the Grace Trust – agreed to hand out the phones to their clients and have so far passed on dozens of handsets.
Islander Warren Smith, who is homeless, said that the free phone he claimed had helped him to stay in touch with those who help ‘improve things for him’.
‘I heard about this from the JEP. I am homeless at the moment and living in the shelter,’ he said.
‘The phone is useful for me because it helps me stay in contact with important people. I am looking for a place to live and if an estate agent needs to contact me they can reach me straight away.
‘It also allows me to keep in contact with my mother more easily. I have limited money, so this has really helped.
‘I have spoken to other people at the shelter and they are interested too. There is one man who needs to stay in communication with the hospital, so it would probably really help him if he had one.’
Citizens Advice chief executive Malcolm Ferey urged more vulnerable Islanders to take advantage of the offer, saying that there were plenty more handsets still on offer.
‘So far we have handed out 170 units and we still have many more to give away,’ he said.
‘People need to come down and get them because they are going fast and won’t be around forever. We can see that they are having a positive impact on people’s lives, as it is another way for them to connect with people.
‘With Warren, he can now be contacted straight away if someone needs to speak to him. This has been a really positive initiative by JT and the JEP.’
Jersey Together was launched by the JEP over Christmas and asked readers to find ways to help each other to ensure nobody was left lonely or in need of support for any reason.
- If you are interested in one of the handsets, please contact either Citizens Advice on freephone 0800 735 0249 or by emailing advice@cab.org.je, or alternatively the Grace Trust can be contacted on 631667 or by emailing info@gracetrust.com.
- Details of the handset on offer can be found at ekit.com/ekit/MobileInfo/Handset/jtsmart2.
