Whitworth students donate £1,000 to community company looking after plumbing needs of elderly and disabled

Charity champions from Whitworth Community High School have raised money for a community company called Depher CIC – Disabled and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Boilers – as well as raising £620 for a fund to help students with fees to enter sporting events.

Year 10 student Charlotte Evans enlisted a team of friends to help raise money in December and the students recently met James Anderson, from Depher, to present him with a cheque for £1,000. He said he would be mentioning the students’ generosity at a large event being held in London and he offered to help the school in years to come.

He said: “These students are unbelievable and it shows you that there is hope for the next generation.”

James explained he had left school with no qualifications and after several jobs trained as a plumber and set up his own business in 2015.

It was seeing how an elderly person was treated by another engineer in 2017 that led him to set up Depher.

The business is now international, with sub-contractors all over Great Britain and Northern Ireland, two in Manhattan and New York, two in Spain and one in Australia.

To raise the money Charlotte and the team held a mammoth bake sale, raffles and other fundraisers including having students in school on an evening to watch the England World Cup matches.

Max Smith and Charlie Palliser completed a 10-hour spin on a bike in the gym, with help from friends and together with Josh Craggs they will be competing in the British Schools Karting Championship in Trafford on Tuesday 31 January.

They have benefited from the money raised as to enter the competition costs £150.

Charlotte said: “The England matches were very popular because everyone wants to watch football with their mates and we had a penalty shoot out with the Deputy Head Boy Charlie Meeks in the school’s bear mascot outfit in goal, and even though he could hardly see out he saved quite a few goals.”

PE teacher Will Cawley suggested to Charlotte that Depher benefit from the money raised and she researched Mr Anderson.

She told James: “It is a really good cause and I thought it was really good what you do.”

James was delighted with the efforts made by the students and told them: “It is great because it creates a community and this experience will benefit the students when they leave school.

“This money will feed 20 families for a month, put gas and electric on their meters or it might be used to provide two boilers for the elderly who have no heating or hot water – it will go a long way.”

He described setting up Depher CIC as being an ‘emotional roller coaster’ but said it was something he felt had to be done.