A BUSINESS owner from County Durham has proved that one charitable gesture can spark a wide-scale community effort – amid the chaos that Storm Arwen has caused across the region.
On Friday (November 26) evening, Callum Oliver, who owns EnviroRod in Chester-le-Street, lost power, along with the whole of his neighbourhood and other parts of the town, due to the wind, rain and snow that battered County Durham at the end of last week.
Fearing that he and others would be in this crisis “for the long haul”, Callum and his colleagues started to devise a plan to protect the most vulnerable in his community for free.
READ MORE Storm Arwen hits roads, rail and properties across North East and Yorkshire
As it turns out, Callum’s neighbourhood was plunged into darkness for a total of 23 hours – and left without any form of heating or power.
Despite Callum being in the same boat as those around him, he did have a plan up his sleeve. As part of his business, he had two portable generators that he could easily wheel out.
Starting by going door-to-door, the business owner managed to find some elderly people in his street – including an older woman who was bed-bound and had to rely on her family to function.
Callum said: “I was made aware pretty early on to the power cut that elderly people were struggling. The conditions were freezing and some people in my street relied on the heat.
“Relatives of people who were heavily bed bound got in touch and the generators went from there.
“While we only had two generators, it was more than others had. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep or live with myself if I didn’t play my part.”
READ MORE Storm Arwen: Northern Powergrid map shows when North East homes will get power
After helping people nearby on his street, Callum decided to move the charitable appeal on social media, which garnered instant popularity and numerous people getting in touch to say they knew people that needed assistance.
In total, Callum and his workmates managed to visit seven properties in County Durham and was hailed over social media as a “hero”.
However, the director of EnviroRod doesn’t see it that way. Instead, he sees it as a “corporate responsibility” and a “human gesture”.
He added: “Yes, it’s a business gain, but from a personal perspective, I needed to get involved – it was the right thing to do.
“A few people didn’t realise we were on the way because their relatives had got in touch. After we turned up, people were the most generous.
“To say these people had lost power and were in a vulnerable position, the community spirit was alive and well.”
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