The news these days is often depressing at worst and frustrating at best. It’s easy to get caught up in the spin cycle and let it get us down. Never fear… The News Blender has you covered. Once a week we feature Something Good and, in return, all you have to do is tell us something good that has happened to you this week, something you are thankful for, a joke, a cute animal story, an inspiring tale of heroics, a Random Act of Kindness… SOMETHING good.
Sometimes we need a little reminder that people can be good and kind to those around them. A kindness bestowed by a plumber in Burnley, England is just such a reminder.
James Anderson made headlines and went viral when his invoice for work done on a leaking boiler was shared on Facebook by the appreciative daughter of a 91 year-old woman who is receiving end of life care for acute leukemia. The receipt, for £0, had a notation attached: ‘No charge for this lady under any circumstances. We will be available 24 hours to help her and keep her as comfortable as possible.’
James says the terminally ill woman will have free plumbing for life, through his company DEPHER, which gives low cost or free plumbing to the elderly and other vulnerable people. DEPHER stands for Disabled & Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair.
Since March 2017, DEPHER has helped 2,389 people, James told CNN. He was inspired to turn his plumbing business into a community project to assist vulnerable populations and uses crowd funding and donations to provide services to the most vulnerable in the community. The 52 year-old, who is a father of five, takes no salary and says, “As long as I have enough money to fill up the tank in my car, I will be there to try and help the people who need it.”
He said, “A lot of elderly and disabled people don’t like asking for assistance and if they can’t afford something like fixing the boiler, they might not do it and get into trouble. We are there to take that worry away.”
Christine Rowlands, the daughter of the woman James helped, says James is an “angel dressed as a plumber.” She told CNN, “James is an absolute star, it was overwhelming to see that it cost nothing.”
While James doesn’t get paid, he does get something out of his service. “It makes me feel human, humble and a little giddy inside… I want to expand this service across the country. I will never give up the fight.” He does appreciate a “smile and a cup of tea” from the people he serves, though, and hopes to keep helping people until “the day God calls me”.
Helping those in need is Something Good to start our week with. Now it’s your turn… Tell me Something Good!
