Hero plumber James Anderson of D.E.P.H.E.R from Burnley takes home the prize
In March we launched the second edition of the Local Hero Awards, a chance for us to say thank you to the builders, plumbers, electricians, joiners, gardeners, mechanics and other tradespeople who serve the community with their generosity.
Graham Nash of Pinnacle Builders in Leeds was voted the winner in 2021 for his fine work fixing the damage done by cowboy builders, and we were once again blown away by the kindness tradespeople up and down the country have been showing in 2022. We can finally reveal that James Anderson of D.E.P.H.E.R in Burnley is this year’s ‘Local Hero’ after his charity provided free plumbing work for elderly and vulnerable people in the local area, and he will receive a well-deserved cash prize of £1,000 for his efforts.
James took the prize with a whopping 70% of the votes, and three regional finalists with wonderful stories of their own will also each receive a £250 cash prize.
About Our Winner, James Anderson
James has spent much of his time providing vital services in the community, tackling the cost of living crisis by making D.E.P.H.E.R available as an emergency plumbing service for elderly and vulnerable people.
“Speaking upon receiving the award, James said: "Thank you very much for nominating myself and D.E.P.H.E.R for this fantastic award, it is overwhelming, and it is humbling.
“From a business point of view, the people we help may not be family, we may not be blood, but we will continue to treat them as family, and we will always be here. As long as we have the power to deliver (our services), you will never ever be alone, and you will never be in the dark.
“This is for the people that we supply, the people that we offer support services to, and awards like this give us further power to help them.”
Typical of his generosity, James said that 'a lot of families’ would benefit from the £1,000 cash prize.
Our Regional Runners Up
Three regional runners up – who each earned the most votes after James - will also receive a £250 cash prize for their amazing work in the community.
They are, in no particular order...
Band of Builders, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire (South-East)
Band of Builders are a volunteer group of trade professionals who have raised thousands of pounds and have been supporting local people by completing vital work for free.
Ash Haynes from Bruno’s Eco Services, Swansea, Glamorganshire (Wales)
Ash responded to the cost-of-living crisis and the isolation brought on by the pandemic by offering to do gardening, cleaning and landscaping work for free for those in need. Ash also kindly offered up the time to talk to anyone who needed some company.
Darren McGee from DMG Services Group, Bellshill, North Lanarkshire (Scotland)
Darren McGee runs DMG services, a Scottish roofing company who have gone above and beyond by offering free repairs for elderly people, and apprenticeships for unemployed people in the local area.
Thank You From SGS
As manufacturers and suppliers of air compressors, gas struts, tool chests, power tools, garage equipment, garden tools and much more to the trade, it’s been amazing to read about all the incredible, thoughtful contribution of those working in our industry – the builders, plumbers, electricians, joiners, gardeners, mechanics and more – who have done so much to help people. We would like to thank everyone who submitted a nomination or cast a vote in our Local Hero Awards 2022, and once again would like to offer our congratulations to James Anderson our overall winner, as well as our three regional runners-up.