Plumbers don’t get much better than this. Over the past five years, James Anderson and his company Depher have been helping thousands of vulnerable people by not just sorting out their heating and plumbing for free, but also by providing PPE and food.
Yesterday, a 47-year-old disabled man reached out in desperation. He was severely in debt and had nothing to eat but a 12-pack of Pot Noodle over the past three weeks. Anderson and Depher came to the rescue.
The founding of Depher
After qualifying as a plumber in 1998, Anderson became increasingly aware of the terrible quality of life of many of his elderly, disabled and low-income customers, often leading to appalling, inefficient and often dangerous heating and plumbing. When 2017 came around he had had more than enough and founded Depher, short for Disability and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair.
From then on, the organisation – a Community Initiative Company – has gone from strength to strength, and it now has 11,000 members who provide support to over 17,000 people. During the pandemic, Depher branched out to the provision of PPE and food to the community.
Awards
The company has won a number of awards, including the Points of Light Award from the Office of the Prime Minister in 2021. However, when Anderson reached out to MPs and politicians in Europe and the UK, only two UK politicians replied, one of them being Ros Altmann, the former UK Minister of State for Pensions from 2015 to 2016.
Other awards include Tradesperson of the Year 2019/20, the 2022 SGS Local Hero Award, and the Pride of Manchester 2022 special recognition award.
Cost-of-living crisis
As the cost of living crisis undoubtedly gets worse, Depher is bound to face many challenges, including an increase in demand. It is therefore crucial that they get every little bit of support and funding they can.
There are a number of ways to help Depher: you can donate to their gofundme, buy merchandise, or donate items. And you can, of course, join their extensive network too.
Those who need help can contact the organisation, which covers the UK, by calling 01282 420678.
As James Anderson told North West Bylines:
“You may not need us yet, or you may. Either way we are here, we have your back, hand in hand with you until the end.”
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