There are some decent people still left in the world -
A not-for-profit plumbing company in Burnley has earned worldwide attention after it refused to charge an elderly customer for work on her boiler.
A receipt for the work (see below) shows a 91-year-old woman with leukaemia would not be charged "under any circumstances".
The receipt was shared on social media by the woman's daughter in the past week and has since been liked hundreds of thousands of times.
Plumber James Anderson says he hopes to expand his altruism across the UK.
"There are too many elderly and disabled people suffering in silence," he explains. "They don't like asking for help. They don't want to be a burden.
"We take away the burden, the stigma."
Speaking to the BBC, James says the company's work "stops them getting into debt" and helps them regain an independence they fear they may lose "if they think they can't afford repair costs".
James was not initially aware of his note being shared online. "I was at my grandson's christening," he says. "I got a couple of likes and cheers on Sunday," but since then the reaction has been "absolutely global".
He has been taking calls from as far away as Germany and the US, and from international broadcasters, talking about his aims to help those in need.
"It's going to give it a boost," he adds. But he's reluctant to take all the credit, calling his actions "a community effort".
"We all do what we can and we all come together as a community. We need to be a human race, to look out for each other."
Read in full - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49729211
A not-for-profit plumbing company in Burnley has earned worldwide attention after it refused to charge an elderly customer for work on her boiler.
A receipt for the work (see below) shows a 91-year-old woman with leukaemia would not be charged "under any circumstances".
The receipt was shared on social media by the woman's daughter in the past week and has since been liked hundreds of thousands of times.
Plumber James Anderson says he hopes to expand his altruism across the UK.
"There are too many elderly and disabled people suffering in silence," he explains. "They don't like asking for help. They don't want to be a burden.
"We take away the burden, the stigma."
Speaking to the BBC, James says the company's work "stops them getting into debt" and helps them regain an independence they fear they may lose "if they think they can't afford repair costs".
James was not initially aware of his note being shared online. "I was at my grandson's christening," he says. "I got a couple of likes and cheers on Sunday," but since then the reaction has been "absolutely global".
He has been taking calls from as far away as Germany and the US, and from international broadcasters, talking about his aims to help those in need.
"It's going to give it a boost," he adds. But he's reluctant to take all the credit, calling his actions "a community effort".
"We all do what we can and we all come together as a community. We need to be a human race, to look out for each other."
Read in full - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49729211