Britain’s kindest plumber reveals how the promise he made to his baby son who died aged 16 weeks to ‘become a better man’ inspires him to give free services to the elderly and vulnerable
Britain’s kindest plumber has told how his late son inspired him to provide free heating services to elderly and vulnerable people experiencing fuel poverty.
James Anderson, from Burnley, Lancashire, who founded Depher in 2017 to provide free water and heating support to those who need it, joined Christine Lampard and Dermot O’Leary on This Morning on Monday.
James has supported over 17,000 people to date and has also been distributing personal protective equipment and food to his community during the pandemic.
In 2013, his baby son William died at just 16 weeks, and that’s when he vowed to do better in his memory.
He said: “I promised my son that I would become the man I hoped he would have become if he had survived and that’s what I do, I do it for William and all the other children and people.” there who has no voice.
James Anderson, from Burnley, Lancashire, provides free heating services to elderly and vulnerable people suffering from fuel poverty.
James received a special award from the House of Lords this year and his outstanding work has also attracted the attention of generous celebrities, with Hugh Grant and his wife recently donating £20,000.
Speaking about why he decided to set up the charity Emergency Plumbing and Heating Repairs for the Disabled and Elderly (Depher), he said: “It all came about because of a promise I made to my son, which I had to say goodbye to.
“And the older gentleman who rang us to get a second opinion, he was offered £5,500 for a new boiler, so I went to this house, he was lying there in bed with a lift and it took me back to the day we said goodbye. William.
“I took a look at the system and realized this other company had manipulated the system to make him believe he needed a new boiler. I contacted them and said either you fix the problem or I fix the problem and then I publicly report it.” the problem you caused.
“After a little quarrel they appeared the next morning: two wagons, four men, a thousand pounds and a brand new boiler for the gentleman.”
James said the situation made him wonder how many more people in the UK are being exploited.
Since its founding, Depher has raised over £1.2 million and works with thousands of people across the country, as well as businesses.
James has supported over 17,000 people to date and has also been distributing personal protective equipment and food to his community during the pandemic.
James, who founded Depher in 2017 to provide free plumbing and heating support to those who need it, joined Christine Lampard and Dermot O’Leary on This Morning on Monday.
That all changed one day when he was doing work for a 91-year-old woman who had leukemia and her daughter shared a snapshot of his account, which was zero, and it went viral.
Money is being raised in a variety of ways, from GoFundMe to donations from businesses, with NextEnergy recently donating £40,000 to the firm.
James said the company started through word of mouth, but at first he had a lot of debt.
He said: “We posted messages online and it was word of mouth, at one point we were down £18,000 in the bank account but I was still going and my wife gave me the money, we were considering going again bookmarks of the house.” continue this.”
However, he said everything changed one day when he did work for a 91-year-old woman who had leukemia and her daughter shared a snapshot of his account, which was zero, and it went viral.
However, he said everything changed one day when he did work for a 91-year-old woman who had leukemia and her daughter shared a snapshot of his account, which was zero, and it went viral.
Since its founding, Depher has raised over £1.2 million and works with thousands of people across the country, as well as businesses.
James’s superb work has also attracted the attention of generous A-listers, with Hugh Grant and his wife Anna Eberstein (pictured) recently donating £20,000.
The viral post attracted the attention of Hollywood actor Hugh Grant and his wife Anna Eberstein.
He said: “It’s not just about the money they gave, it’s about the time, the respect, the recognition from someone like them, which not only allows us to give people so much more, but also allows other people to support us.” and do something themselves in their communities.
“It’s not just about what I give to someone, it’s about what I give to someone, the echo passes that on and then we get a domino effect and then all the communities across the UK come together and do that the same with food, gas, electricity and running water. .’
James said he never wants to retire and will continue to help people until the day he dies.
The plumber said people can help by visiting their website and making a donation or simply contacting the company if they need help.