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centralheatking

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Thus fella operating in Burnley has set up a not for profit business is crowd fund backed and carries out work for vulnerable people so he gets paid but the needy individual does not.
What a great idea. centralheatking
 

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James Anderson of Depher (Disabled & Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair) Doesn't Charge Customer

BBC News said:
James is originally from Liverpool, where he was a bin man before he became a plumber in 1998. He has been running Depher - Disabled & Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair - as a not-for-profit plumbing company since March 2017.
"There are too many elderly and disabled people suffering in silence," he explains. "They don't like asking for help. They don't want to be a burden.
"We take away the burden, the stigma."
Speaking to the BBC, James says the company's work "stops them getting into debt" and helps them regain an independence they fear they may lose "if they think they can't afford repair costs".

This guy needs some backing.

Would any of you guys sign up to this kinda company? Perhaps do the odd job pro-bono (FOC) for customers who can't afford and are poorly?

Perhaps I should create a section in the directory to help with it?
 
I just saw a bit about this plumber on Jeremy Vine this morning who refused to charge a 91 year old lady with leukaemia for her repairs.

I did a bit of digging around and found this:

Does anyone know him or is he on here? That would be cool.

-----

A plumber is melting the world’s hearts after it was revealed he fixes pipes and boilers for weak clients with none cost.

James Anderson, 52, says he’s helped 1000’s of individuals in want since closing his personal enterprise and re-launching as not-for-profit firm, Depher.

His generosity got here to the fore after a invoice was posted on-line displaying he charged a 91-year-old lady with acute leukaemia £zero.

The daddy-of-five from Burnley wrote: ‘No charge for this lady under any circumstances. We will be available 24 hours to help her and keep her as comfortable as possible.’

Talking in regards to the constructive public response, James mentioned: ‘We didn’t anticipate it. It’s been all over the place.’
He raises cash utilizing crowdfunding and donations and helps individuals throughout Lancashire.

James mentioned he was impressed to wind down his personal work and start Depher after seeing an aged man poorly handled by one other engineer.
Since 2017, he has supplied free or lower-cost plumbing to these in want all through winters.

He claims the swap to not-for-profit work has seen him fall in to money owed of round £eight,000, though he insists the shortfall is underneath management.

‘Lots of people near me ask: why are you getting your self in to debt? Why are you doing this?
‘To me, debt is debt… I’d reasonably owe some cash to someone and one other particular person be alive and pleased and secure.

‘It’s an ethos that’s in my coronary heart and it’ll all the time keep there.’

Having helped locals in Lancashire over the previous two winters, James is now hoping to take Depher’s work country-wide.
He mentioned: ‘I’ve spoken to fairly a number of engineers across the nation and so they’re all for it… it’s simply getting the funding.

‘I don’t need any one who is aged and disabled on this nation, at the present time, to die or undergo due to a chilly dwelling or a scarcity of funding to restore the boiler.

‘It shouldn’t be taking place – that quantity must be right down to zero. Easy as that.’
 
The guy I trained under when I was an apprentice was on quite a few occasions very kind to the elderly, sick or totally broke. Either doing things at basic cost price to simply break even whilst keeping their costs down or even do a job for free once in a while for the elderly or infirm. He didn't do it for any publicity either, just something that I noticed he'd do once in a while. There are genuine people in the trade doing that kind of thing as I have seen it myself.

I fully understand that people need to make a living of course but it must feel good to help in such a way if you can. I am also absolutely certain there will be plumbers who contribute to these forums who have done similar acts of kindness in their work.
 
Slightly related but my vet for twenty years either didn't charge or charge cost price for dog vaccinations. As a consequence (attracting those looking for cheap vaccinations) he ends up getting banged up for fraud by aiding a puppy farming gang. He's out now thankfully after doing about eight months inside and after the appeal was finally granted at the highest court. It'll all come out in the wash eventually, here's just a small taste.

 
I posted this one yesterday under innovative idea..just got back
Formby...Basingstoke...Reading...back just. centralheatking
If it is genuine then its a great template just like PDSA...and ultimately it cannot affect bona fide fitters because we charge too much so financially challenged households can get a proper job...
bye by cowboys...whom fit badly and even play with gas.
I cannot believe BBC and a few national papers have not checked the
root source. Mike and I will ...because if it is genuine it will be my
nominated charity for next year. I have emailed the fella already.
report back in time chk
 
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I think most of us have done it to some extent. Called in and topped a boiler up, changed times on a programmer, nipped up a slight drop etc etc etc.

bled a few rads had a nice piece of cake etc :)

unstuck an erp pump
 
Quite so, maybe this fellas taken it to a new level...we will
wait and see...aww years ago we had two transits in Bristol
on a council refurb. The fellas rolled up ready to go. Inside
was a mother with a couple of young sprogs ...her fella had
dumped her a few days before..so by Monday she was out of everything....so my lot put her in the tranny and went to Asda
whilst rest carried on ..they bought nappies all sorts of stuff
baby gear and grub ....while Bristol council got her sorted
that was years ago ....chking
 
I hope he is genuine.
From what I can gather so far:
He says he is £8000 in debt because of this. Remember, he says he closed his ltd company. How is that possibly sustainable?
He raises funds via crowdfunding etc. and started his NFC, to receive the funds.
He doesn't do every job free - some have "discounts" applied.

Excerpts from ITV.com:

went round on Sunday September 8th and it was clear that the expansion vessel in the boiler had gone," Mr Anderson said. "I ordered the part so that I could make the repair.
"But for the next few days, I popped into her house every morning and sometimes in the afternoon and evening to check on the boiler so that her house would be kept warm."


He visited her again on the 9th, 10th and 11th of September at least twice a day to check that the boiler was working and that she was warm.
The part was fitted on the 12th of September and then it was shared on social media and went viral at the weekend.

Mr Anderson, who is originally from Liverpool, runs Depher Community Interest Company - similar to a charity - which has offered discounted (and sometimes free) plumbing work to more than 2,300 elderly and disabled people since it was established in 2017.
"We do the work for free when funding is available," he explained. "If funding isn't available, I try to do it for a discount of around 25% to 50%." The organisation recently had a £2,000 grant from the Duchy of Lancaster to boost its work.
"When I was visiting the lady, it was just like going back to my Nana when she was alive," he said.
Mr Anderson reckons that it would have cost around £468 had he invoiced the family for the work.


So he called on Sunday, had the time to keep popping back, but did not change the EV until the Thursday? Obviously have no idea what boiler, but most EV's are available next day, or OTC.?

If he had charged, it would have been £468. How much is your typical EV swap? He did not mention recharging the vessel, just depressurising the system

Routinely, he doesn't do the work free. He charges the charity. Which he started, and is the sole Director. His company, which he says he closed down, was actually dissolved on 6th August (started process on 8th May) this year. He is wearing a tee shirt bearing the name of the dissolved company, which is probably an offence, but he may just have overlooked the rules.

I am not saying that he is necessarily anything other than a good man, but I am always a bit cynical. It would be interesting to know if he invoiced the charity.
 
I don’t know why he didn’t just drain one rad and shut the trv there’s your expansion vessel for a couple of days etc no need to keep going back there

If I remember correctly he was on a Facebook group around a year ago asking for donations to keep it going
 
I don’t know why he didn’t just drain one rad and shut the trv there’s your expansion vessel for a couple of days etc no need to keep going back there

If I remember correctly he was on a Facebook group around a year ago asking for donations to keep it going

Why would you close a TRV, Shaun. I would leave a largish one half full of air, so there is still a bot of heat, or do you find your way works better?

I was going to add that to my post, but thought I was already critical/cynical enough.

I do not know what to think, TBH. No one can work for free on a regular basis, unless you have a large bank balance, or private income. And he claims to be £8K in debt.
 
Why would you close a TRV, Shaun. I would leave a largish one half full of air, so there is still a bot of heat, or do you find your way works better?

I was going to add that to my post, but thought I was already critical/cynical enough.

I’ve found if you leave both open eventually the air will move with the flow can’t explain why it moves

Close one the air stays and leaves a nice pocket
 
I’ve found if you leave both open eventually the air will move with the flow can’t explain why it moves

Close one the air stays and leaves a nice pocket

Air does diffuse into water so I suspect that by keeping the same water in the rad it'll only absorb so much before its saturated with air and stays stable. If it's got a constant replenishment of heating water going through it might lose the trapped air faster. In reality I'm not sure how fast the air does diffuse to water but that could be the reason?
 
I think the idea is grand. After all, if I could just do the plumbing side and not have to earn money to pay other people, it would save a lot of hassle.

My problem with this is the means testing or lack of. After all, she was 91 and had leukemia, but for all we know, money could have been the only thing she didn't lack. A friend of mine was in his 90s and walked around with holes in his jumpers in spite of having £30,000 in a current account. He wasn't tight - I did a fair bit of work for him - but he simply wasn't interested in wasting a 'perfectly good' jumper just because it had a tennis ball sized hole behind his shoulders and his house was in keeping with this theme. When he wanted an electrical firm to re-wire his house, no-one even quoted. I suspect they assumed he had no money.
 
Got a couple of local charities that I've ended up helping out, especially one place has got terrible drainage so I've ended up going there quite a lot. At the end of the day id rather they spent their budget helping their user group than paying people like me. They are so appreciative it is amazing. I recommend it highly.
 

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