All posts tagged plumbing news

A Lancashire plumber recently made headlines after generously fixing a 91-year-old, terminally-ill women’s boiler completely free of charge.

The story of humanitarian plumber, James Anderson, soon swept the nation after the photo of his bill for £0.00 – posted by the elderly woman’s daughter – went viral.

Under normal circumstances, the job would have cost just short of £500. Nevertheless, the fee was simply wiped clean by the 52-year-old plumber.

The rare act of unprompted kindness warmed the hearts of the nation (as well as the woman’s home); however, the aftermath has been equally uplifting.

free plumbing for elderly people

In Hot Water

Despite making news across the country for the 91-year-old’s boiler job, Anderson has actually been helping the sick and the elderly for years.

Inspired by hearing how an elderly man was scammed by a cowboy plumber, Anderson launched Depher (Disabled and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair) in 2015, aiming to provide free or low-cost plumbing to those in need.

However, the switch from private firm to not-for-profit outfit landed the kind-hearted plumber in hot water as he racked up around £8k worth of debt.

Luckily, as the old saying goes, one good turn deserves another and good karma certainly repaid the favour in the case of Mr Anderson.

Good News Spreads Fast

After the story went viral, Mr Anderson received praise from all over the world as word quickly spread of his admirable generosity.

The result has seen him receive almost £80k worth of donations, allowing him to pay off debts and sustain the charitable work for the future.

Speaking of future plans, Anderson said: “My hope is to get Depher national, in every city and town,”

The influx of donations now allows Mr Anderson to carry out his charitable plumbing outside the boundaries of Lancashire, making that nationwide dream one step closer to reality.

To donate to Depher, visit Mr Anderson’s GoFundMe account for further details.

Shocking Statistics

According to a study by National Energy Action and E3G, more than 3000 people in the UK die each year as a result of not being able to heat their own homes. In 2019, those statistics are hard to comprehend.

While Mr Anderson and Depher are undoubtedly making a difference, the charity currently only operates in Lancashire and the surrounding areas. Those outside of the wider Lancs area are (as of press) largely out of luck.

Worse still, a skills shortage in the plumbing trade has seen demand outweigh supply. Meanwhile, the shortage of skilled tradesmen has also resulted in a rise in plumbing fees, pushing heating maintenance even further out of reach for some.

With that in mind, there’s never been a better time or reason to get involved in the plumbing trade. Not only does it offer a solid career path in a trade that’s in demand, you could genuinely make a difference to someone’s quality of life and potentially save a life in the process – even if your services aren’t completely free of charge.

If you’ve been inspired by this story and would like more information on how to become a plumber, get in touch today on 0800 345 7492 or drop us an email using the button below.

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01Oct2019

Heart-Warming Boiler Repairs

Lewis access training news, plumbing, trade news

A UK engineer has created innovative new software to help plumbers with dyslexia, after he noticed a need for the product when aiding plumbers with heat-loss calculations. The software, called Heat Engineer, is designed to enable plumbers to work out calculations of heat-loss quickly and efficiently, without the need for external help.

Although this is hugely beneficial for plumbing as whole, the fact that it can be adapted especially for people who suffer from dyslexia means that it will not only improve and simplify the day-to-day lives of current tradespeople, but will also pave a more inviting pathway for the plumbers of the future. To help combat the difficulties experienced by plumbers with dyslexia, the app allows them to change the colour, size and font of the text, as well as other elements, allowing them to adapt it to fit their particular needs. This is a massive step forward not only for plumbing-specific technology, but for apps in general, as it directly combats a common difficulty that isn't often awarded much attention in mainstream culture.

Another encouraging aspect of this development, is that it has the potential to draw more people to the profession, due to the fact that they will not feel intimidated or held-back by their struggles with dyslexia. In fact, individuals with the problem can often find themselves thriving in a hands-on career such as plumbing, which means that the industry's talent pool will also be all the better for it.

At Access Training, we aim to take on a variety of candidates regardless of their background or experience level, an approach we believe is essential in ensuring that we create a compassionate and diverse pool of trade professionals. Our experienced tutors have years of professional experience, and are able to offer a flexible programme of work to suit the candidate's individual needs. Due to our student to tutor ratio, you will also be given the opportunity to have one-on-one supervision and guidance, which is ideal for candidates how may find some of the written aspects of the courses more complicated.

If you would like to become a plumber, and feel that Access Training's courses could be for you, then please feel free to get in touch with us today! As we mentioned previously, we are dedicated to providing a flexible service, and would be happy to discuss any concerns or requirements you may have.

For the latest updates in the world of trade professions and about our courses, follow us on Twitter!

24Mar2016

New Software for Plumbers Suffering With Dyslexia

nathan

Constant advancements in heating technology mean that it's crucial for plumbers and gas engineers to ensure that their skills are always up to date with the latest changes and developments. Plumbing professionals must ensure that they are qualified to work on a variety of systems, in order to guarantee a safe and efficient service for themselves and their customers.

These days, most new properties have unvented hot water storage systems, which are far more complicated and have more parts than older, open-vented systems. Even if you have a wealth of experience with other types of hot water systems, a lack of knowledge in this particular area could soon cause you to come unstuck if you attempt to work on an unvented system without the proper training.

How to get qualified

Here at Access Training, we deliver an accredited Unvented Hot Water Storage Systems course for plumbers and heating engineers.

This training package will equip you with all the relevant skills and knowledge needed to install and maintain modern hot water systems. It will also familiarise you with the G3 Building Regulations, which you will need to follow when working on hot water storage systems. At the end of the course, you'll gain a qualification that allows you to work on unvented systems (as well as solar thermal hot water installations).

Unlike some of our other plumbing courses, this course is specifically designed to suit experienced plumbers and heating engineers who wish to expand and update their skill set. When you successfully complete the course, you will be supplied with an ID card that identifies you as being qualified to deal with this type of work, providing peace of mind for your customers.

Unvented Hot Water Storage Systems Course - Book Your Place Now >

To see our full range of plumbing training packages, please visit our Plumbing Courses page. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about any of our courses.

18Dec2015