Press Release | 25 May 2023

Supercharge your Glastonbury and SIM-ultaneously donate to local community

For every purchased power bank, Vodafone will donate a pre-loaded SIM card to charities in local communities. Onsite at the Festival itself, Glastonbury-goers can exchange their depleted power bank for a fully charged one, once a day.

  • Official Connectivity Partner of Glastonbury Festival, Vodafone, makes battery packs available to purchase before and during the event.
  • For every purchase Vodafone will donate a pre-loaded SIM card to local communities.
  • Vodafone pledges to help 75,000 people and businesses in the South West cross the digital divide by end of 2025.

Vodafone, Official Connectivity Partner of Glastonbury Festival, will keep ticket holders powered-up throughout the Festival by giving them the opportunity to purchase fully charged mobile battery packs before and during the event. For every pack purchased, Vodafone will donate a pre-loaded SIM card to a local charity in Somerset, offering Festival fans a way to give back to the community.

As part of its Glastonbury partnership, Vodafone UK has pledged to help 75,000 local people and businesses to cross the digital divide, delivering social value of £4.5m for communities and businesses across Somerset by the end of 2025. This commitment is part of Vodafone’s everyone.connected campaign, which aims to give people the connectivity and skills needed to participate in an increasingly digital society. As well as distributing SIMs, the pledge will provide free digital skills support to individuals and help to digitally transform small businesses, through engagement with Vodafone’s Smart Living and V-Hub webpages.

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Glastonbury-goers can reserve their battery packs ahead of the Festival (£20 plus a £5 deposit) and collect them at the event from Vodafone’s “Connect & Charge” site (located near The Pyramid Stage). They can also be purchased on-site for the duration of the Festival. Attendees can ensure they have enough power to capture all their favourite music moments by returning daily to the ‘Connect and Charge’ site to exchange the packs for fully charged ones. Vodafone will also offer free charging throughout the event.

At the end of the Festival, fans can choose to return their pack and get a £5 deposit back. Or simply keep it.

The packs are compatible with almost all mobile and personal tech devices and will take most back to full charge. Festival-goers are advised to bring their own charging cables to connect via USB or USB-C ports.

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Nicki Lyons, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer at Vodafone UK, said: At Vodafone we have put tackling the digital divide at the very heart of our business and we know the vital role that connectivity plays in people’s lives. We’re delighted to launch our new initiative at Glastonbury and help drive real impact in the local area for both individuals and businesses.”

Vodafone became the Official Connectivity Partner of Glastonbury Festival in March 2023 and is set to deliver more network capacity to Worthy Farm than ever before. The partnership will see the launch of a brand-new Official Glastonbury Festival app, with free phone charging also offered to everyone on-site.

Vodafone customers have gained access to exclusive promotions and experiences at the Festival, as well as tickets for the sold-out event, through its VeryMe Rewards programme.

Get more information on Vodafone’s battery pack initiative. Any Somerset-based charities that could benefit from receiving free connectivity can apply for it from Vodafone’s charities.connected initiative.

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About Glastonbury Festival

Created in 1970, Glastonbury is the largest greenfield music and performing arts Festival in the world. The iconic event – which takes place at Worthy Farm, Pilton in Somerset – is attended by more than 200,000 people each year and watched by millions more on TV / online.

About Vodafone UK

Vodafone UK is a technology communications company that connects people, businesses and devices to help our customers benefit from digital innovation. Our services span mobile, fixed-line connections, home and office broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

We have a strong track record as a tech pioneer, making the UK’s first mobile phone call, sending the first text message, and making the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G in 2018. We were the first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester and now have 5G in locations across Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain as well as the UK. Meanwhile, our 4G network coverage currently reaches over 99% of the UK population.

Today, Vodafone serves more than 18 million mobile and fixed-line customers in the UK. Vodafone is the largest provider of full fibre in the UK – our superfast broadband services are now available to nearly 12 million homes across the UK.

Sustainability is also at the heart of what we do: as of 1 July 2021, 100% of the grid electricity we use in the UK is certified to be from renewable sources.

For more information about Vodafone UK, please visit: www.vodafone.co.uk.

Vodafone UK Media Relations

Telephone: +44 (0) 1635 693 693

Email: ukmediarelations@vodafone.com

Twitter: @VodafoneUKNews

Website: https://vodafone.co.uk/newscentre/

Vodafone Limited

Registered Office: Vodafone House, The Connection, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2FN

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