A tech accessories company has sent £70,000 worth of charging devices to Ukraine to help victims of war stay connected with their families.

The Banbury-based company, Juice, has been working closely with the Polish Red Cross (PCK) to deliver an array of charging equipment to families trapped in besieged cities, and those crossing the Polish border. Their donation includes portable powerbanks, mains charger cables and other practical tech accessories.

All donated devices were fully charged by members of the Juice team before being delivered to the Polish border by their freight partner IFE Global Logistics. A significant number of powerbanks were also gifted by EE, Juice’s retailer. In total, the donated equipment is enough to fully charge 7,070 mobile phones.

To show further solidarity, each item has been stamped with a heart-shaped sticker in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, accompanied by the statement ‘We stand with you’.

By working with PCK, Juice’s founder and CEO, Jolyon Bennett, is optimistic about giving individuals trapped in or fleeing the conflict a chance to stay in touch with their loved ones, particularly in instances of separation.

He said: “When the invasion started, everyone felt miserable and helpless. I certainly did. This donation effort was born from conversations with friends around what we could do on a small level. At Juice, we’ve just tried to turn our resources towards doing something positive.

“Us businesspeople have a responsibility to do what we can. I’m so proud of my staff too, they took time out of their own time to deal with all the shipment processes. It wasn’t easy either, because the chargers are considered dangerous goods.”

He added: “We’ve heard back saying that shipments have arrived in Ukraine, and that our donated powerbanks have been delivered into cities, some of which have no electricity. We didn’t imagine that we’d be able to get our products into Ukraine. We thought it would just be people on the borders receiving them.”

Mr Bennett has lived in Oxford all his life, and came up with the idea for Juice whilst living in Jericho.

Jane Carley, a colleague of Jolyon’s, said: “Jolyon conducts business in a unique way, he cares, and that’s why he attracts people who want to make a real difference in the world.”

Since its inception in 2012, Juice has been powered exclusively by renewable energy. In July 2020, the company became the first mobile phone accessories manufacturer in the UK to remove all single-use plastic from their packaging. They are now aiming to use only recycled materials in the products themselves.

 

 

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok

Got a story for us? Send us your news and pictures here

List an event for free on our website here