Words by Smiley Team
When heating engineer James Anderson discovered an elderly client had been taken advantage of, he decided to do something about it.
He set up the community interest company Depher CIC, to provide free or heavily subsidised emergency plumbing and heating services to vulnerable older and disabled people.
James became a plumber in 1998, and set up ‘Depher’ – which stands for Disability and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair – in 2017 after seeing how many vulnerable people were unable to access affordable and vital emergency works.
‘Depher’, which relies significantly on public donations to cover all labour and materials, provides free services during winter months, and discounted services during the summer, on a range of emergency works including gas leaks, lack of heating and running hot water.
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Since it launched, James has supported more than 17,000 people, and during the pandemic he also branched out into helping distribute personal protective equipment and setting up a food bank for his community.
He gave out £16,000 worth of PPE and almost 7,000 food parcels during the first lockdown.
“We were paying bills for people who couldn’t afford to pay and we did about nine free boilers as well as sorting bathrooms for those hit by rogue traders," he told PA News Agency.
Previously James raised more than £10,000 to help the elderly and disabled through Depher, too. A disabled teenager was among those in receipt of Depher’s support, after they installed a specialist bath in her new supported living facility.
Julie Allen, 52, had been crowdfunding 18-year-old Rose’s bath when Mr Anderson spotted the fundraiser, donating the final £800. He then installed it for free. Mrs Allen told PA: “When I saw the bill I was crying. I thought, ‘how amazing is this man?’"
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James’ acts of kindness first went viral last year after a picture of his bill for £0 he sent to a 91-year-old woman with acute leukaemia was posted online.
The receipt for the boiler repair was accompanied by a note reading: “No charge for this lady under any circumstances. We will be available 24 hours to help her and keep her as comfortable as possible.”
You can find out more about James' community interest company at depher.co.uk and donate to help him continue his services.
