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

• James Anderson , from Burnley, provides free heating services to the vulnerable
• Read More: How ordinary Brits are cutting back as the cost of living crisis bites

Britain’s kindest plumber has revealed how his late son inspired him to provide free heating services to elderly and vulnerable people facing fuel poverty.

James Anderson, from Burnley, Lancashire, who set up the company 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. 

So far James has supported more than 17,000 people and during the pandemic he also branched out into helping distribute PPE and food to his community.

In 2013, his baby son William died, at just 16-weeks-old, and it was then he made a promise to become a better man in his memory. 

He said: ‘I made a promise to my son that I will be the man that I hoped he would of been if he had survived, and that’s what I am doing, I am doing it for William and all the other children and people out there who haven’t got a voice.’

James Anderson , from Burnley, Lancashire, provides free heating services to elderly and vulnerable people facing fuel poverty

This year, James received a special award from the House of Lords and his great work has caught the eye of generous A-listers too – with Hugh Grant and his wife recently donating £20,000.

Speaking about why he decided to set up the charity Disability and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair (Depher), he said: ‘It all came from a promise, that I made to my son that I had to say goodbye to. 

‘And an elderly gentlemen who rang us for a second opinion, he was quoted £5,500 for a new boiler, so I travelled to this property, he was lying there in bed with a hoist and it took me back to the day we said goodbye to William.

‘I took a look at the system and realised that this other company had manipulated the system to make him believe he needed a new boiler, I contacted them and said you either rectify the problem or I rectify the problem and then I go public with the problem that you caused.

‘After a little bit of an argument they turned up the next morning, two vans, four men, £1,000 and a brand new boiler for the gentleman.’

James revealed that situation made him wonder how many other people around the UK are being taken advantage of. 

Depher has raised over £1.2 million since its founding, and works with thousands of people across the country, alongside businesses.

So far James has supported over 17,000 people and during the pandemic he also branched out into helping distribute personal protective equipment and food to his community

James, who set up the company 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

It all changed one day when he done a job for a 91-year-old lady, who had Leukemia, and her daughter shared a snap of his invoice which was zero, and it went viral

The money is raised through various means, from a GoFundMe, to donations from businesses with NextEnergy recently donated £40,000 to the firm. 

James said the company started through word of mouth, but at first he was in a lot a debt.

He said: ‘We put posts online and it was word by mouth, we ended up with minus £18,000 in the bank at one point but I was still going and my wife gave me money, we were looking at the possibility of remortgaging the house to carry it on.’

However, he said it all changed one day when he done a job for a 91-year-old lady, who had Leukemia, and her daughter shared a snap of his invoice which was zero, and it went viral. 

However he said it all changed one day when he done a job for a 91-year-old lady, who had Leukemia, and her daughter shared a snap of his invoice which was zero, and it went viral

Depher has raised over £1.2 million since its founding, and works with thousands across the country, alongside businesses

James’ great work has caught the eye of generous A-listers too – with Hugh Grant and his wife Anna Eberstein (pictured) recently donating £20,000

The viral post got the attention of Hollywood actor Hugh Grant and his wife Anna Eberstein.

He said: ‘It’s not just the money that they have given, it’s the time, it’s the respect, it’s the recognition from someone like them, that not just enables us to give a lot more out to people, it has also enabled other people to support us and to do things themselves in their communities.

‘It’s not just about me giving to somebody, it’s about me giving to someone eho passes it on and then we get a domino effect and than all communities around the UK are coming together and doing the same things with food, gas, electric and plumbing.’

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 donating or just contacting the company if they are in need of help.  

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