UKRAINIAN refugees arriving in Worcester will be given free SIM cards with up to six months of service. 

Claines Church is working with a local group called Help for Ukrainians in Worcester (HFUIW) to make connectivity available to Ukrainian refugees in the city.  

People arriving under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme will be eligible for a free SIM card. 

In Worcester, the church in Claines Lane is initially providing 50 SIM cards that include 20GB of data a month and free texts and calls for six months. 

The Church has collaborated with Vodafone as part of its new initiative called everyone.connected to provide about 200,000 refugees with free WiFi and connectivity. 

Geoff Sansome, member of HFUIW, said “This is a really welcome initiative, and we are grateful to Claines Church for offering themselves as the registered charity to make this happen. 

"We will allocate the SIM cards on behalf of the church as and when our Ukrainian friends arrive”

Revered Jo Musson, vicar of Claines Church said “Whilst we’ve faced challenges during the pandemic, the situation for our Ukrainian friends is even more challenging.

"This offer will help Ukrainians settling in Worcester to keep in touch with their families and loved ones and enable us to reach more people and provide them with much-needed support. 

"This free connectivity via Vodafone’s charities connected initiative is great news. We are welcoming our first two Ukrainians into the parish this week and it will be wonderful to support them.”

Vodafone is urging charities around the UK to get in touch and take part in this scheme. 

Emma Reynolds who is the Head of Communications, Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs at Vodafone UK said the scheme aims to tackle digital exclusion and create a more digitally inclusive society.