They say one good deed deserves another and that was certainly the case for Wigan based electrician Karl Mather.
He was recently asked by the local branch of Age Concern to attend the property of an elderly couple who had no heating. He quickly found the fault was an old storage heater which was more than 30 years old and needed replacing.
Sadly the couple, who were in their 80s, could not afford a new heater so Karl asked Age Concern to see if the elderly pair might be eligible for a grant.
In the meantime Karl took it upon himself to buy a portable heater for the couple so they would have some heat in the short-term. He returned a few days later to check in on them and was told a grant could take months to come through, if at all.
Feeling he could just not walk away, Karl ordered a new storage heater and went back to fit and supply it a few days later.
“It was obvious talking to them that they had no money and the husband also suffered from dementia,” commented Karl. “So, I just decided to write it off as an early Christmas present to myself and told the couple that Age Concern had received a grant to pay for the heater and my time.
“They were a lovely couple and I was happy enough with all the tea and cake they gave me for doing the job.”
Karl, who runs his own one-man business, KDM Electrical, thought nothing more of it until a few weeks later when a mysterious letter arrived at NICEIC headquarters about his good deed. The letter was from another client of Karl’s who had heard about his generosity.
NICEIC decided to get in touch with Karl, thank him for his good deed and cover the costs of the goods, including the portable heater.
“I don’t think anyone could have just walked away from that job,” added Karl. “I never expected anything in return so was amazed when NICEIC got in touch. It all seems a bit surreal and was a real nice thing to hear just a few days before Christmas.”
Emma Clancy, CEO of NICEC added: “This is a great example of the things our registered contractors do for their customers every day.
“It was a really heart-warming story to hear. Karl’s actions demonstrated a genuine care for his customers and I am proud to have him as a NICEIC registrant.”
