Today, we all use apps to stay connected to people and up to date with events. However, around 20 million people simply don’t have the means to buy a mobile phone of their own and miss out on opportunities that the rest of us take for granted.

Three UK plan to rectify that this Christmas. They’re asking their customers to drop off their old phones at one of Three’s in-store recycling points. They’ll then be revamped and sent out to a charity.

Three’s Reconnected Team are currently working with charities like Business in the Community, the Hyde Group and Good Things Foundation to support new opportunities for disadvantaged people. With this scheme, each recipient can have use of their phone for three months.

So Three’s customers’ old phones could be used to help an unemployed person get interviews and job alerts. Or they could be used to increase someone else’s feeling of independence and knowledge of all things digital.

This initiative is an example of Three UK’s passion for technology that can help individuals to reconnect with people and places and make a real difference to their future.