Cadent answer BBC's DIY SOS call

    11 December 2023

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    Simon Hutchinson

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    With the countdown to Christmas well underway, there will be plenty of feel-good television to watch in the coming weeks, but there is only one programme that is a must watch.

    A special DIY SOS was recently filmed in Harlow, Essex, and several Cadent engineers gave up their time to ensure that gas installations were all completed safely. The team were also able to share gas safety messages and provide information about the Priority Services Register.

    The programme, which is hosted by Nick Knowles and featured cast members from Albert Square, descended on Harlow to help transform a community project which helps bring people together and improve mental health.

    The Eastenders cast members donned their hard hats and joined an army of volunteers, including the team from Cadent, to create a new building for Butterfly Effect Well-Being, enabling the project to offer its services to more people in need of help with issues including social isolation and self-harm.

    Network Supervisor Ricky Samuels, who pulled the Cadent volunteering team together, said: “This was a brilliant experience and one that meant so much to all the team who were involved. Everything is so meticulously planned by the production team, and it was a real experience to just watch it all coming together over the few days at the end of October.

    “We originally volunteered to help with the gas installation and the producers asked if we could provide a few people every day throughout the build which we were happy to do. It was a great experience and a brilliant use of volunteering days which will make a positive impact to Harlow and the local area.”

    Butterfly Effect Well-Being is currently operating out of a portacabin and was in desperate need of the DIY SOS team. The community interest company runs a range of groups, including a men’s meet-up, a singing group and ‘Chill and Chat’ teen sessions, as well as cooking and crafts workshops and holistic therapy classes.

    Its founder Angela Hannibal set up the project after losing her mum to suicide. Her mum had struggled for years with poor mental health and after she died, Angela decided to quit her career as a pharmacist to try to help people like her.

    The project has been gifted an empty building by the local council, but it’s in a state of disrepair and needs extensive internal and external works to make it fit for purpose.

    Speaking at the time of filming, Nick Knowles said: “This is a special project that does so much to help the community in Harlow and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in with our EastEnders friends and see this amazing build come together.

    “As always, we wouldn’t be able to deliver such important projects without the generosity of our brilliant volunteers.”

    A big well done to Ricky, Richard Davies, Ian Cutts, Paul Goodman, Keeley Adams, Charlotte Randle, Simeon Narraway, Robert Dicks, Martin Skalicky, Ashley Thomson, Nathanael Jones, Nathaniel Latty, and Colette Panter, who all represented Cadent in the programme.

    You can watch our fantastic Cadent volunteers on ‘DIY SOS: Eastenders Special’ when it screens on BBC One on Monday 18 December. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer should you miss it live.

    Cadent

    Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network with a 200-year legacy. We are in a unique position to build on strong foundations whilst encouraging the curiosity to think differently and the courage to embrace change. Day to day we continue to operate, maintain and innovate the UK’s largest gas network, transporting gas safely and protecting people in an emergency. Our skilled engineers and specialists remain committed to the communities we serve, working day and night to ensure gas reaches 11 million homes from Cumbria to North London and the Welsh Borders to East Anglia, to keep your energy flowing.

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    Here at Cadent we support the Government’s plans to reach Net Zero by 2050. That means we’re backing the introduction of hydrogen as a low carbon alternative to natural gas for the future. We know people love the controllability of gas and, with our network already in place, it makes sense to switch to the lower carbon alternative offered by hydrogen, which we believe can keep homes and businesses warm for generations to come.

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