An Angus charity is appealing for people to donate mobile phones for recycling, in a bid to raise money for vital community services.
The CAFE (Community Alcohol Free Environment) Project in Arbroath’s Street Games for All provides activities for young people in Angus throughout the year, giving them an alternative to being out on the streets.
With over 20,000 attendances per year, it provides a “one-stop” shop for leisure, culture, health, education and employment services and outdoor activities for people under 25. In addition, many community and statutory groups use its accommodation and facilities.
Organiser Hamish Fairweather said the games project is struggling for funding so it is launching a New Year appeal for mobile phones people might have lying about at home.
“We will then recycle them and gain vital funding so we can continue our good work in Angus,” he said. “We, like a lot of charities, are finding funding harder and harder to source so we thought this was a novel way to raise some much-needed cash.
“Instead of asking for money we would like the Angus public to donate their old mobile phones which are sent down south where they are checked, repaired and then sold in developing countries. We only require the phone not the charger.
“We do a lot of good work with the street football in the various Angus towns on a weekly basis and also fitness training at the Lochlands Centre and Lilybank Day Care Centre in Forfar. To continue this work we need this vital funding.
“I am such many local people who were lucky enough to get a new mobile phone in their stocking at Christmas will they wish to turn an obsolete item into some valuable funding for us.
“We are more than happy to collect phones or they can be handed into the CAFE Project at Brothock Bridge.”
Mr Fairweather can be contacted on 07510 254327 or hamishfairweather@hotmail.co.uk