Carphone Warehouse 2007 Annual Report Download - page 22

Governance
The Group has a strong track record as a responsible
employer, consumer and distributor and now also has
senior executive sponsorship to help co-ordinate and
plan our activities.
Our approach will be simple. We will aim to minimise
our environmental impact through simple but effective
actions across our stores and support facilities, and
mobilise our employees to change working practices
to support this drive. Importantly, we will also engage
with customers, who are increasingly discerning about
who they choose to do business with, based on
factors other than our core principles of value and
service. We are developing a range of solutions that
will educate customers and give them practical ways
to reduce their own environmental impact. We will
give a full update on these initiatives next year.
Charity, community and employee activities
The Carphone Warehouse continued its support of its
two partner charities, Barnardo’s and Get Connected,
with a wide range of activities. TalkTalk, The Carphone
Warehouse’s fixed line service, has continued to
partner with TreeHouse, the national charity for autism
education, raising funds and developing best practice
for autism education throughout the UK.
At The Carphone Warehouse we recognise that
there are many different issues that affect the lives
of our employees and have also created The
Carphone Warehouse UK Foundation to support
those individual charities and local community
projects nominated by employees.
The Carphone Warehouse supports both its charitable
partners and The Foundation in many ways, from
donating gifts for sales and raffles, offering extra
holiday for employees undertaking overseas treks and
other specific volunteering activities, to donating profits
from the sale of accessories over the Christmas period
and Give As You Earn through the payroll.
Get Connected
Get Connected is a free and confidential helpline that
can find and connect vulnerable young people to the
best services in the UK, to assist them with their
issues. The Carphone Warehouse provides office
space and accommodation for the service and its
volunteers, phone lines and IT support as well as
offering employees the opportunity to earn extra
holiday or have matched time off to volunteer.
In 2006 The Carphone Warehouse continued its
seven-year relationship with Get Connected offering
additional marketing support to its extensive charitable
efforts, including free advertising and direct mailings
to its customer base.
In February 2007 Andrew Harrison, a trustee of the
charity, hosted its third charity auction at the Pigalle
Club, Piccadilly, London, with the continued support of
Corporate Responsibility
suppliers and partners. Those unable to attend the
event were also able to bid on-line, and we raised
a total of £186,000, almost double the funds raised
in the previous year.
The funds raised from the auction and employees’
individual efforts will allow Get Connected to help an
even greater number of young people throughout the
UK by developing an on-line presence and expanding
their web-chat service to match the hours of the free
phone line service.
TreeHouse
Autism is a life-long neurological condition affecting
basic communication skills in one in 100 children.
At its most profound, children with autism may never
acquire spoken language, require 24-hour care and
may be perceived to be living in a world of their own.
TreeHouse was established to provide specialist
education for children with autism and provide an
educational centre of excellence for children with
autism and related communication disorders.
The shared vision of TalkTalk and TreeHouse of helping
people to communicate has made this a perfect
charity partnership. TalkTalk has committed to
continue to donate 1 penny from every call made
to its 118111 directory enquiries service and has
provided extensive marketing support through activity
like bill inserts and direct mailing to its customers.
Since its foundation in 1997, TreeHouse has occupied
six temporary homes in North London. In 2005,
TreeHouse launched an appeal to raise £11.5 million
to construct the first National Centre for Autism
Education. This permanent building will house
extended school facilities for autistic children in London
and will also be home to a national teaching facility,
where services are piloted and evaluated and best
practice shared by practitioners throughout the UK.
TalkTalk is committed to helping TreeHouse to see this
ambition realised.
Borneo Trek
Having the opportunity to visit one of the last unspoilt
places on earth, raising funds for The Carphone
Warehouse UK Foundation and gaining hands-on
experience in a local community project through the
annual charity trek, is a highlight for both employees
and charities.
Held in May 2006, this year’s trek took 53 employees
to Borneo with the goal of building the world’s first
ever tracking station for the rehabilitation back into
the wild of previously orphaned Orang-utans. Each
employee raised approximately £2,250 to fund their
trek with a total of £40,000 being raised for The
Carphone Warehouse Charity Partnerships in the UK.
The Carphone Warehouse Group PLC Annual Report 2007
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