WarmZilla have recently partnered with heating charity DEPHER (Disability and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair) to offer discounts and cover plans to all DEPHER users.
DEPHER provides vulnerable people with access to affordable and vital emergency heating services, relying on public donations to cover all labour and materials. With this partnership, DEPHER are now the biggest Charitable heating, plumbing & breakdown company in the UK.
Who is DEPHER?
DEPHER provides help and support to people over the age of 65, users registered disabled or families/individuals on a low income.
In a cost of living crisis especially, emergencies and situations arise that people may not be prepared for. DEPHER is there for people who find themselves in a position where they aren’t able to make ends meet and have nowhere to turn.
A registered Community Initiative Company, Depher relies on public donations to cover the cost of labour and materials, allowing it to provide free services during winter months and discounted services at other times.
Depher provides urgent emergency works such as repairing gas leaks, installing new boilers and heating systems – and providing running hot water to those without it.
Since Depher was launched, James has supported over 52,000 people and during the pandemic also branched out into helping distribute personal protective equipment and food to his community.
- Depher have helped over 52,000 families since 2017
- Depher deliver a trusted community plumbing and heating service that enables the elderly, vulnerable and disabled members of the community to access help and support 24 hours a day
- Depher provide free services during the winter months, and discounted services at other times
- Depher provide food to those in most need
- Depher also deliver paid and private plumbing and heating services to all members of the public and businesses
Who is James Anderson?
James Anderson became a plumber in 1998 and during his career became shocked and saddened to discover the low quality of life many of his elderly, disabled, vulnerable and low income customers endured due to poor quality heating and plumbing. As well as being ineffective, in many cases it was potentially life-threatening.
James has been hailed as “Britain’s kindest plumber” and a modern day hero for the selfless work he has done in helping millions of people around the UK.
In 2021, Depher and James were awarded a Points of Light Award by the Office of the Prime Minister.
In a letter to James, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“I was inspired to learn about how you have used your professional skills to help over 16,000 vulnerable people with free emergency plumbing and heating services.
“You have dedicated countless hours of your time and raised thousands of pounds to help those in need. It is a brilliantly practical way of serving others.”
A man of few words but many actions, James replied: “I am very humbled to receive this special award. I would like to thank the Prime Minister’s office for the recognition of the work we do in the community. Without the support from our community and from other donors worldwide Depher would not be able to continue as it does. I appreciate all the support I get.”
James has won numerous other awards including:
- Mayor’s Award for Voluntary Service from Burnley Council
- FSB Community Awards Winner (2019 and 2020)
- Fix RadioTradesperson of the year (2019 and 2020)
- Community Heroes Award
Who are DEPHER’s donors?
Depher has been fortunate to be awarded a number of prestigious awards and has received support from some significant donors.
Whether you donate a few pounds or a few thousand, it means the world to those who benefit from your kindness.
- Shining World Award (Taiwan) – £7000
- The Duchy of Lancaster Award – £2000
- American Donation Fund – £5000
- Carol Drinkwater – £700 and 15 signed books
- CNG Services Ltd – £1000
- Schofield Surveyors London – £250
- Hugh Grant – £25,000
How are WarmZilla helping?
WarmZilla owner, Matthew Powell, first got in touch with James from Depher when he saw a social post asking for help with a boiler installation for a terminally ill gentleman. Matthew was moved by the story and reached out to James to offer WarmZilla’s services.
Matthew arranged a boiler installation completely free of charge for the gentleman and his wife. During the installation, the WarmInstaller (WarmZilla Heating Engineer) also detected a couple of dangerous gas leaks, which were also remedied as part of the job.
As people struggle more and more with the cost of living crisis, another problem has surfaced. Like in the situation above, when people can’t afford the basics like gas and food, then safety standards start slipping. This has resulted in an increase of dangerous situations and problems not being diagnosed when it comes to gas safety.
During the time in which this blog was written, there was an explosion in Morriston, Swansea – a suspected gas explosion, within a 15 minute drive of the WarmZilla Swansea office. This is exactly the kind of situation that DEPHER and WarmZilla hope to work together on, to raise safety levels and support those who can’t afford a boiler service.
From an altruistic offer of kindness, Matthew and James began to speak on other ways that WarmZilla could help DEPHER. James relayed that they had so many requests for help, both paid and charitable, that they weren’t able to facilitate, from staff resources to installation coverage.
As WarmZilla is a UK-wide boiler installation, servicing and boiler cover company, Matthew offered WarmZilla’s services to DEPHER’s users. Giving access to over 500 heating engineers across the UK, making DEPHER the biggest Charitable heating, plumbing & breakdown company in the UK.
WarmZilla will also be allocating a full-time member of staff to dealing with any DEPHER user requests, whether it be advice on heating, troubleshooting problems, or boiler installation advice; WarmZilla will be able to take some of the pressure off the DEPHER staff to enable them to focus on fundraising to help those most in need.
WarmZilla will be providing ongoing boiler covers to DEPHER users around the UK, a portion of the proceeds will then be donated back to DEPHER. WarmZilla will also offer unique discounts to DEPHER users for boiler installations and boiler servicing.
You can help support Depher by sponsoring a care plan and giving peace of mind to those most vulnerable by using the information below to donate.
How can you help?
You can help the DEPHER cause by donating to DEPHER using these details:
DONATIONS:
Lloyds
Sort: 30-98-97
Acc: 64235768
All donations will be used to pay for boiler replacements, boiler servicing, cover plans, food and utilities for those that need it the most. As a charity, DEPHER are reliant on donations from members of the public to enable them to do all the fantastic work they do.
You can also donate to DEPHER using the following methods:
Go Fund Me – Depher plans to have emergency staff in every area of the UK, to establish a direct workforce that will be employed directly by Depher and belong to the people who need it the most.
Merch – You can purchase DEPHER merchandise to support the cause.
Amazon Wishlist – Buy items from the DEPHER wishlist on Amazon, which will be donated to those that need them the most.
Paypal – Make a donation via Paypal
You can also help out without donating, follow DEPHER’s social pages and help spread the word about the great work they do:
Twitter – Facebook – YouTube – LinkedIn
Visit https://www.depher.co.uk/ for more information on the great work that DEPHER does.
