Carphone Warehouse 2008 Annual Report Download - page 34

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Charity, community and employee activities
Our two operating divisions each have their own partner charity. The
Distribution business supports Get Connected, and the UK Fixed Line
division supports TreeHouse. We choose to back small charities that both
relate to communication, so we can help them not only with fund-raising,
but also with the more practical and technical support that is often harder
for charities to come by.
Get Connected
Over the past year The Carphone Warehouse has continued to support
its charity partner, Get Connected. Get Connected provides young people
in distressing situations with the emotional support and information they
need to decide what they want to happen next, whether they need a
listening ear or a bed for the night. Their dedicated helpline volunteers
talk through any problems, and can connect callers with a free call to
any other useful service in the UK.
In addition to raising funds for Get Connected, The Carphone
Warehouse also covers all overheads for the charity including providing
accommodation, equipment and IT support, covering utility bills, covering
the cost of phone lines, printing, mailings and internet connection and
offering marketing support and training free of charge. We also offer our
employees the chance to earn additional holiday if they become a helpline
volunteer for Get Connected.
In February 2008,The Carphone Warehouse held its fourth annual
charity auction for Get Connected at Frankie’s in Knightsbridge, London.
Comedian Phil Jupitus was compere for the night and with the support
of suppliers and partners we raised a record £208,000.
Money raised for Get Connected in the past year has enabled it to
expand its team of volunteers to over 100 and increase its webchat
service opening hours to run every day (in 2006 this service only ran for
three evenings a week). In addition to this Get Connected now receives
as many requests for webchat per month as it did in the whole of 2006
and has managed to help 20% more users in 2007 than in the previous
year. Going forward we plan to help Get Connected to expand an online
self help directory that they have recently launched as well as support
them with a national awareness campaign.
TreeHouse
Our fixed line business, TalkTalk, has also continued to support
TreeHouse, the national charity for autism education, which aims to
improve the lives of children with autism across the UK. Autism is a
serious, life-long, neurological condition affecting one in 100 children.
At its most profound, children with autism may never acquire spoken
language, require constant 24-hour care and may be perceived to be
The Group has a strong track record as a responsible employer,
consumer and distributor. As a supporter of its local and wider
communities, and in its charitable activities, The Carphone Warehouse
continues to be a pioneer.
While our overall environmental impact is relatively low compared to
companies in other industries, our efforts in this area have historically
lagged our community and charitable activities. However, we have now
started to work on ways of reducing our carbon emissions and our
consumption of other raw materials. We are doing this through a
combination of updating our infrastructure, and encouraging our
employees and customers to adapt their behaviour to mitigate their
environmental impact.
However, it is in the sphere of social responsibility that we believe we can
make the greatest impact. As a communications business, we provide the
tools that enable customers to connect with one another, and with an
infinite range of content, across a number of platforms. It is therefore our
responsibility to educate our customers about the risks that come with
this freedom and to protect them from illegal or anti-social activity. This
year we will start a programme which aims to do just that.
Directors’ Report: Business Review
Corporate Responsibility
22 The Carphone Warehouse Group PLC Annual Report 2008
Working to limit our
environmental impact
Our business is about connecting people. We can play an important role
in educating customers about the responsibilities and risks that come
with an increasingly connected world.
Money raised at Get Connected charity auction
£208,000
Light energy consumption savings, at flagship warehouse project
64%
Increase in handsets recycled or re-used
400%