Hugh Grant donates £10k to Burnley free plumbing charity

Hugh Grant's payment was made on a winter fundraising appeal

Actor Hugh Grant has donated £10,000 to a charity that provides free plumbing and heating for the elderly or vulnerable.

James Anderson, 54, who founded the charity Depher, said he was "shocked" to see the donation on a GoFundMe page.

"I didn't believe it was him. It's a shock but it's wonderful," he said.

He has been running Depher (Disabled and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair) as a not-for-profit plumbing company in Burnley since 2017.

The payment was made on a winter fundraising appeal, which has raised more than £70,000.

James Anderson has been running a not-for-profit plumbing company since 2017

Mr Anderson, whose charity has helped more than 19,000 families, stressed how important Mr Grant's donation would be.

"That's 10 boilers for people with cancer. Ten boilers for people who are dying," the plumbing and heating engineer said.

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Mr Anderson said Grant was "a brilliant actor", adding: "He's a character and a typical British upstanding man.

"A donation off someone like Hugh is not just about the money, it's about awareness - sharing and letting people know, showing the public and government the reality of what is going on."

Mr Anderson, who is originally from Liverpool, became a plumber in 1998 and said it was "humbling" to see how many people he had helped.

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