After establishing a social company that has assisted more than two million of the UK’s most needy citizens, a plumber in England is being hailed as a modern-day hero.
The community interest company DEPHER, run by 54-year-old James Anderson, offers significantly subsidized services to those who are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living, which has increased by up to 54 percent since the beginning of April.
There isn’t much that DEPHER, or plumbers for that matter, can’t do. DEPHER stands for Disabled & Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repairs.
And they do everything from paying people’s bills they can’t pay to providing emergency plumbing and heating services, delivering food parcels, and covering funeral expenses.
Over the past six years, Anderson and his Burnley-based team have assisted over 52,000 families—roughly two million people nationwide.
We attempt to make individuals aware that there is someone out there who will support them, according to Anderson.
A video of ‘Britain’s sweetest plumber,’ Anderson, a father of six and grandpa of four, went viral early last week.
James wrote, ‘Today I was called to assist a 78-year-old woman, her card was declined because she only had £6.97 in her bank, the ENERGY COMPANY TOOK £765.89 out this morning.
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When Anderson went on a job to a gentleman’s home in his hometown of Burnley, Lancashire, he got the notion to start his all-purpose social venture.
After receiving a quote for £5,500 from another business, the man contacted James to check at his boiler.
According to Anderson, ‘This company had tried to con this guy out of thousands of pounds that he didn’t have, for services that he very definitely did not need.’
This man was bedridden and elderly; he was in a very precarious situation. We intervened, dealt with the business, and provided the man a boiler worth £1,000 for free.
James acknowledged, ‘I just remember thinking something needs to be done about this. This occurs to so many individuals, so I reasoned that by assisting just one person at a time, I would be doing some good.’