An anonymous public donation provided a brand new boiler to a couple in their 70s who were facing a freezing cold winter.
Ann and Keith Hartley, 71 and 74, have had a broken boiler in their Burnley, Lancashire, home for almost a decade, but it stopped working completely this year, just in time for a winter of skyrocketing living costs.
Faced with a “freezing” home and unable to afford a costly replacement with their monthly pension earnings of around £1,000, the couple reached out to Disabled and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Response (Depher).
The charity provides free plumbing and heating services to those in financial need and was founded in 2017 by James Anderson, 55, from Burnley, who assessed their boiler.
In a tweet posted after visiting the couple’s home, Mr Anderson said he was brought to tears by the couple’s situation and asked for donations.
💔 HEARTBREAKING
I have just cried with a couple aged 74 & 72.
They only get £1050.00 a month, they have Copd, heart condition & depression!
The boiler has not worked on heating for 5 years, their home is freezingTHEY NEED URGENT HELP!
A #free boiler will be installed pic.twitter.com/Cv1VdTCE0s
— Depher cic uk – James 🫂 Anderson (@Depheruk) October 29, 2022
Within hours an anonymous member of the public had donated enough money to cover the cost of the unit.
Mr Anderson also helped the couple to apply for a £400 rebate from Burnley Council and said he would install the boiler for free, meaning they would not have to pay anything.
“We were both dumbfounded, we were stuck for words… (Mr Anderson) was like an angel in disguise to be quite honest, we were both very emotional about it,” Mrs Hartley said.
“I cried, my husband, cried. We didn’t think it was possible for somebody to help us, it doesn’t normally happen to us.”
Mrs Hartley added they “couldn’t thank” the person who donated £695 “enough”.
Actor Hugh Grant has previously donated tens of thousands of pounds to Depher, most recently giving £10,000 in June 2022.