Over £30,000 has been given out in charitable donations by training and certification provider BPEC to projects that use plumbing skills to enhance life.

Over £30,000 has been given out in charitable donations by training and certification provider BPEC to projects that use plumbing skills to enhance life.

At its second Life Award presentation ceremony, The BPEC Charity made four awards to deserving projects.

In memory of BPEC’s founding chairman Raymond J Brooks, the awards were presented by the Charity’s trustees at an event attended by 100 representatives of the plumbing industry at Pride Park Stadium, Derby, on 11 October.

Guest speaker Richard Geary of the Peace and Hope Trust spoke of the important role people from the plumbing and heating industry can make to those who are less fortunate.

The BPEC Charity Life Award 2013 was presented to Anita Smith and Nick Foley for development and refurbishment of the Bansang Hospital located in the Central River Region of The Gambia.

The prize money of £15,006.02 will allow the team to replace and/or refurbish all toilets, showers, sinks and tiles in the eye unit, maternity and labour wards, administration block, principle nursing officer’s room and duty room, out-patient department, female ward, physiotherapy and maintenance, kitchen, laundry and stores.

The BPEC Charity also awarded £8,000 to self-employed plumber, John Robinson for a project to work alongside a village community in the Bluefields region of Nicaragua at a place called Rama Cay. John will be working alongside the Friends in Action charity to install a supply of water as well as drainage systems to an entire community of 40 new homes.

Danny Jones, from Exodus Solutions was presented with £5,000, for the work undertaken by the company’s partnership with UK registered Charity Dekamile and Willmott Dixon 4Life Academy, committed to helping one of the poorest communities in the world called Agome Sevah in rural Togo, West Africa.

Danny and his team will install Solar PV along with auxillary equipment, water pumps and associated pipework to power pumps from previously installed wells to deliver the clean fresh water needed to the villagers.

Willmott Dixon 4Life Academy, Exodus-Solutions Ltd and Dekamile are also building an Apprenticeship School in this community to enable those without an education to obtain a trade and thus earn a living.

Trevor Deacon a Trainer/Assessor at West London Training Ltd was awarded £2,000. Along with an eight-person team, Deacon will be travelling to the Zimbabwean town of Marondera in May 2014. The team will provide hot water to four houses of an orphanage called Musha Wevana for showering and kitchen use and will also be refurbishing the shower cubicles.

BPEC chairman Frank Glover said: “The life award experiences have had a real inspirational effect on both the recipients and the deliverers. It is changing perspectives and attitudes in a really positive way. The learning process adds significant business skills to the already well qualified plumber, giving him considerable benefits in today’s competitive marketplace.”

The search for next year’s BPEC Charity awards has begun and the closing date for applications is 27 June 2014.

“If you haven’t made a submission in 2013 then read of the real benefits it brings to all who have. The BPEC Life Award is gathering momentum and is a true force for good in todays society,” added Glover.

There are three opportunities for financial support from the BPEC Charity open to all those working in the UK plumbing industry. These are the Life Award, the Support Fund and the Sport Awards. To find out more about entering any of next year’s awards please visit www.bpec.org.uk/charity