Over the course of 2021, we have been encouraging the nation to nominate those in the plumbing community who have gone above and beyond over the last 18 months.
So far, Pride of Plumbing has told some inspirational stories, including people who have put their employees first, provided free boiler services to NHS staff, and put their artistic skills to use for charity. Now, we’re delighted to share our final story – bringing this emotional campaign to a festive finish.
In December 2020, Ben Faherty, owner and Director of BON Plumbing Services (a name inspired by his own family: Ben, Owen and Nikki), funded and delivered more than 80 luxury food hampers to those in need across the Wirral. This idea came to Ben after he spoke to his friend, Ritchie, who works as a housing officer. Ritchie was worried that a lot of his clients were not going to have anything to eat over Christmas due to restrictions being placed on food banks in their area as a result of unprecedented demands during the pandemic.
Ben explained: “Just the idea of someone turning up to the food banks and being turned away because they had been four times previously seemed really bizarre. So, Ritchie and I decided to make the hampers ourselves and, because of his work with vulnerable people, we were able to work out who was most in need.”
Ben and his wife, Nikki, wanted to make the hampers as festive as possible. They bought luxury food from supermarkets, which included a complete Christmas dinner and even selection boxes for children, to ensure the packages were as special as possible. Everyone in the family had their part to play, including their son, Owen, who wrote his own Christmas cards for a personal touch.
Ben has always had a strong sense of community and truly believes that everyone would be better off if we were all to pitch in; a strong value that he filters through into the running of his company. This was demonstrated first-hand when the whole community got behind Ben’s efforts raising £1,000 to support his efforts. Overwhelmed by the support, Ben’s company also contributed £500, and even closed the business early for Christmas so the hampers were delivered in time by his family and the team. A true demonstration of community spirit at Christmas.
Ben explained just how thankful everyone was for the donations: “You could see the stress they were under and that our help was really making a difference to the community.”
Ben’s wife Nikki is his biggest fan. She said: “He is absolutely my rock. He is always putting everyone before himself. I would say that sometimes he spreads himself too thin and I have to remind him to take care of himself because, to him, everyone else comes first: his family, friends, lads in the business and customers.”
You can watch Ben’s story in full here, as well as all of this year’s Pride of Plumbing stories.