Hugh Grant has been praised by a man who provides free plumbing and heating services for the elderly and vulnerable after the star made a generous contribution to the cause.
James Anderson, the founder of community interest company Depher, says Grant will ‘save lives’ after the actor donated £10,000 via GoFundMe.
Depher offers free heating and plumbing services as well as providing food and other essentials to those who are in need.
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Anderson said Grant’s contribution, which had been verified by GoFundMe, was more important than ever with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
The 54-year-old said: “If I could rename Jesus, I would call him Hugh.
“We’ve now [got] a free boiler for a 94-year-old lady because of Hugh.
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“There’s another lady who has a brain tumour, [she] and her husband haven’t had heating or hot water for 17 months and now they will get a new boiler … because of Hugh.
“It’s not that it helps towards or makes life a little bit easier – it actually saves lives.”
Anderson, who lives in Burnley but helps people in need all over the country, said Grant has shown compassion towards those in need, with the Hollywood star having now donated £40,000 to Depher in total.
“He respects me and he’s got a lot of compassion for what we do,” he explained.
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“In my opinion, that man will always be my brother. I might never see him, I might never meet him, but he’ll always be my brother.”
Depher has helped over 39,000 families get free heating and hot water in their homes since its launch in 2017.
The payment by Grant was made to Depher's most recent GoFundMe, which has now raised over £51,000, and in the future, Anderson hopes to have Depher operating in every town and city in the UK.
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The sum of money from Grant will cover nearly a third of Depher’s monthly spend for those without heating or hot water.
Anderson added: “He’s given a medicine to an illness we’re all fighting.
“I will share the shoes off my feet, I will sell everything I own, I’ll even remortgage my house and sell my false teeth as long as I know these children are being fed again.
“And even though [he] is miles away, he still gets involved because he watches, he listens, he understands and he knows where we’re coming from.”
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If you want to donate to Depher, you can do so here.
Claire Reid