With 1,000 of the 5,000 Vodafone SIMs donated to British Gas Energy Trust available at their outreach events, Vodafone UK News dropped by to see how the free connectivity is making an impact.
When Vodafone Business and Centrica – the parent company of British Gas and Hive – signed a four-year strategic deal in January 2026, the union promised to ‘create a new blueprint for enterprise partnerships’.
With combined connectivity and energy offers to come, the partnership’s social value commitment is already having tangible benefits for customers.
September 2025 saw British Gas Energy Trust (the Trust) – an independent charity funded by British Gas – kick off the latest iteration of its outreach programme, which sees it work with local charity partners to provide energy advice and support
Though the programme started in 2022, the latest series of drop-in sessions were the first that gave attendees an opportunity to receive a free SIM card, courtesy of Vodafone.
Loaded with 40GB of data and unlimited calls and texts each month, for six months, the SIMs are part of Vodafone’s long-standing everyone.connected initiative, which has helped four million people and businesses cross the digital divide since 2021.
Vodafone Business and Centrica strike four-year deal to power digital transformation and create new blueprint for enterprise partnerships
Vodafone Business has signed a ground-breaking four-year strategic partnership with Centrica, the parent company of British Gas and Hive, to deliver Workplace Services and connectivity to 80 sites and 30,000 devices across the UK.
The importance of community outreach events
Ashleigh Gildroy, who works in the Trust’s outreach team, travels to towns and cities across England, Scotland and Wales to manage the events.
“Our drop-in sessions take place in areas across Britain with some of the highest deprivation,” she explains. “We work closely with our funded partners to make sure we can meet people where they are, in trusted and familiar settings.”
Once in situ, Ashleigh and trained advisors from the local charity partners speak with those looking for advice on energy debt, budgeting or other related issues.
“All the advisors are trained to support on topics like benefits, debt, energy queries. Then, on top of that, we have British Gas volunteers who can help with specific account queries, which is a great resource.”
It’s the charities, however, that are often at the centre of the community. Organisations like London-based Money A+E, which provides money advice and education to disadvantaged groups, diverse ethnic communities and young people.
Improved mobile connectivity could unlock 49,000 new businesses and add £6.6bn annually to the UK economy – New VodafoneThree research finds
Nearly two-thirds (62%) of would-be start-up founders say unreliable connectivity has prevented them from starting a business in their local area.
Addressing the cost-of-living crisis
“We inform them about what support is available, such as budgeting or training,” says Money A+E trainee, Madina, who has been volunteering at an event a short walk from Canning Town Station.
The London Borough of Newham, where Canning Town is situated, remains one of the most deprived areas in the UK, despite an ongoing regeneration project.
For British Gas Vulnerability Specialist and qualified social worker Claudia Mclaren, however, it can be difficult to predict which groups may end up needing support.
“The cost-of-living crisis, or energy crisis, is impacting people that haven’t historically been vulnerable,” she says, “and, for a lot of people, it’s quite difficult to accept the fact that they’re in need of help.
“Plus, if they’re experiencing energy debt, normally that means there’s quite a lot of other debt involved too.”
Digital lifelines: How Vodafone and Places for People are tackling digital exclusion
Whether it’s used to access healthcare and education, apply for work or simply to stay in touch with loved ones, digital connection is much more than a convenience in 2025 – as proven by Vodafone’s partnership with the UK’s leading social-enterprise housing provider, Places for People.
Connecting people with the services they need
A recent WPI Economics report, commissioned by Trussell and Good Things Foundation, outlines the links between deep poverty and digital exclusion, with adults on very low incomes more than twice as likely to be without home broadband.
Those visiting this particular event in Canning Town were offered one of Vodafone’s free SIM cards, in an attempt to help bridge this digital divide.
“There are some clients that don’t have access to connectivity, so can’t be reached,” explains Madina. “They might have to come back to the office because there isn’t any way to contact them.
“That’s why the SIMs are so important, as they will help them get connected.”
In total, 5,000 Vodafone SIMs have been donated to the British Gas Energy Trust, with 1,000 of these made available at the Trust’s outreach events.
This connectivity supports digital inclusion, allowing customers to use the Trust’s additional online services and helping them access further money and energy support.
Emergency service: How Vodafone SIMs are helping Hatzola HBS deliver life-saving care
With more than 65 volunteers supporting communities across North London, Hatzola HBS relies on fast, reliable connectivity. Here’s how Vodafone and its charities.connected programme is helping.
How partnerships can help tackle poverty
As daily life becomes increasingly dependent on digital connectivity, the overlap between issues like fuel poverty, food poverty and digital exclusion is only set to grow.
Partnerships that connect industries like telecoms and energy will take on even greater significance as a result.
“This is about more than just energy advice or digital access in isolation,” suggests Tracey Talbot, Interim CEO, British Gas Energy Trust.
“It’s about tackling digital exclusion, fuel poverty and debt together, so people have access to the tools and opportunities they need to improve their circumstances and build greater financial resilience.”
In light of this, Centrica and Vodafone are continuing to explore ways of working together that will ensure vulnerable communities – and customers at every level for that matter – receive the support they need.
And social value will remain an important part of this, as Tom Stockwell, Head of Key Accounts, VodafoneThree, suggests:
“As our work with Centrica proves, social value initiatives can help companies provide meaningful support directly to the customers and communities they serve, whether that’s getting them online or getting their energy costs under control.
“Because of this, they’re playing an increasingly crucial role in our partnerships, as we continue to build a network that connects every community across the UK.”
Stay up to date with the latest news from VodafoneThree by following us on LinkedIn and Twitter/X.
