How your old phones helped raise £215k for Manchester bomb victims

GENEROUS Daily Mail readers raised more than £215,000 to help the victims of the Manchester terror attack.

Thousands of you either donated phones or gave money to our Mobiles for Manchester appeal, launched after the suicide bombing which killed 22 people and left more than 100 injured.

Some 11,400 devices were handed in at branches of Carphone Warehouse – where they were re-used or recycled – raising around £160,000 for the appeal.

Readers sent cheques and donations worth a further £30,920, while Carphone Warehouse donated 1,000 phones worth £25,000. The money will be shared between two causes, one of which is the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund to support the injured and bereaved.

Interfaith charities that help communities unite against terror and tackle prejudice and hatred will also benefit.

Children and families were targeted in the suicide bomb attack on an Ariana Grande pop concert in Manchester in May. The youngest victim, Saffie Roussos, was just eight years old and her mother Lisa was left in a coma by the bomb blast.

Injured victims and bereaved families will need support for years to come, particularly those left with life-changing injuries. The Mail’s Mobiles for Manchester appeal won support from survivors, community groups, charities and faith leaders, including the Bishop of Manchester David Walker and Manchester United legend Bryan Robson. We asked readers to look through their cupboards and drawers at home to root out their old unwanted phones and drop them off at branches of Carphone Warehouse.

Donors included grandmother Maureen Gulliver, who donated hundreds of handsets collected as part of a fundraising attempt after her granddaughter Sophie Kline was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour.

Tragically eight-year-old Sophie died in 2015 and Mrs Gulliver said she had not known what to do with the unwanted phones until she read about the Mail’s campaign. She surprised staff at the Bournemouth Castlepoint branch of Carphone Warehouse by arriving with several carrier bags filled with handsets.

Mrs Gulliver, of Ringwood, Hampshire, said: ‘They have been sitting in my shed, so I’m just glad they could now make a difference to someone. I hope they can be used to raise money to help a family or a child after what has happened.’

Thanks to public support, more than £10million has already been donated to the We Love Manchester emergency fund, run by Manchester City Council in conjunction with the British Red Cross.

Jeremy Fennell, managing director of Carphone Warehouse, said: ‘We have seen a really heart-warming response to the Mobiles for Manchester campaign. We would like to thank everyone that has contributed to this appeal – every penny will support the Manchester families and community affected.’