Vodafone Group plc : 30 January 2012 - VODAFONE HELPS 500 PEOPLE MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE

VODAFONE HELPS 500 PEOPLE MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE BY WORKING FOR UK CHARITIES

• Vodafone World of Difference to pay 500 people from across the UK to work for a local charity of their choice
• Two month full-time, or four month part-time, salary and expenses funded by the Vodafone Foundation
• 79% of last year's participants continue to support their chosen charity

Charities across the country are to get a boost with news that 500 people have won a place on the Vodafone Foundation's World of Difference UK programme.

The programme gives people from all over the UK the opportunity to work for a charity of their choice and get paid for it.  They can choose to work either full-time for two months or part-time for up to four months.  The Vodafone Foundation will pay each charity £2,500, from which the winner will receive the balance once tax and National Insurance has been paid.

Now in its third year, Vodafone World of Difference has benefited hundreds of charities around the UK and allowed people to make a difference, lending their support where it is needed the most.  This year's winners were chosen from the more than 5,000 who registered their interest in taking part.

The programme is not just about the great opportunity of working for a charity for two months, it helps build long-term relationships between winners and their chosen organisations.  Of those people who took part last year, 79% have stayed connected to their charity, giving the UK's third sector vital assistance.  One such charity is Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary in Bristol, which employed a successful applicant last year. Pauline Leeson from the charity comments: "The Vodafone World of Difference programme does wonderful work to help charities. The manpower is invaluable and several winners have stayed in touch with us and have continued to lend their support to the charity."

World of Difference Ambassador Gok Wan comments; "The Vodafone World of Difference programme is vitally important as it benefits smaller charities who have limited access to manpower. It is great to see even in its third year people are so eager to take part."

The Vodafone World of Difference programme is open to anyone over 18 in the UK and the Channel Islands who has the passion, drive and commitment to donate themselves to a charity. Taking part involved finding the right charity to suit their interests, skills and experience. 

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Notes to editors:

• The Vodafone Foundation pays each charity a total of £2,500, from which the winner will get the balance once all tax and National Insurances have been paid.  The Foundation is also giving each charity £250 towards expenses.
• For more information on the Vodafone Foundation's World of Difference programme across the globe visit vodafone.