James became a plumber in 1998, and set up ‘Depher’ – which stands for Disability and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair – in 2017 after seeing how many vulnerable people were unable to access affordable and vital emergency works. ‘Depher’, which relies significantly on public donations to cover all labour and materials, provides free services during winter months, and discounted during summer, on a range of emergency works including gas leaks, lack of heating and running hot water. Since it was launched, James has supported over 17,000 people, and during the pandemic also branched out into helping distribute personal protective equipment and setting up a foodbank for his community.
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