A PLUMBING firm has helped a Culcheth man who is having the fight of his life.
The Ollier family were dealing with an old, malfunctioning boiler for two years, during which time three separate heating and plumbing companies had failed to find the fault and mend it, leaving them with intermittent heating and hot water.
This is where Bumblebee Plumbing and Heating stepped in to help.
John Ollier was diagnosed with leukaemia in November and has undergone extensive chemotherapy in Whiston Hospital during the past four months.
His wife Anne said: “It was during this time that our boiler got worse, switching itself off several times a day.
"This wasn’t good for John when he was at home between treatments, as he feels the cold and the house needs to be kept warm.”
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Ross Coen, from Bumblebee Plumbing and Heating Ltd, heard about John and Anne’s plight and offered to help.
Thanks to the generosity of Ross and his colleagues at Intergas Boilers, the family have had a new boiler installed for free and now have a warm home with a continuous supply of hot water again.
Jamie Penny, from Intergas Boliers, said: “We at Intergas want to support local installers who are well involved in supporting their community.
“I hope the boiler delivers them plenty of warmth and hot water and is a small burden off their mind.”
John added: “This has taken away some of the stress and worry from our situation and has already made such a difference to us. It will be more efficient than our old one, not only have we saved money on the installation but it will save us money on our gas bills, and will reduce the impact of global warming – a win-win situation.”
John now has to have more treatment and will take up to two years for him to fully recover.
Without the bone marrow transplant the disease will prove fatal for John.
He’s on the bone marrow recipient register, but it may take time to find a good match for him.
In the meantime, there is a drug that may help but isn’t available on the NHS - one dose lasting two months costs around £11,000 and he may need several doses.
“As a family, we can’t raise this amount on our own,” says Anne, “so we’re looking for individuals and businesses to help save John’s life.”
If you would like to donate to John’s cause, visit to
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