Celebrity
Hugh Grant called 'Jesus' for donations to charity helping to keep elderly warm
Hugh Grant has donated another £10,000 to elderly people struggling with the rise in the cost of living in the UK.
The ‘Bridget Jones’ actor has made a third donation to the charity Depher, who are providing vulnerable senior citizens with free plumbing and heating amid a surge in energy prices.
Founder James Anderson says the 61-year-old star should be renamed Jesus after he made the generous donation via the Depher GoFundMe page.
He said: “If I could rename Jesus, I would call him Hugh. We’ve now (got) a free boiler for a 94-year-old lady because of Hugh.
“There’s another lady who has a brain tumour, (she) and her husband haven’t had heating or hot water for 17 months and now they will get a new boiler … because of Hugh.
“It’s not that it helps towards or makes life a little bit easier – it actually saves lives.”
Hugh is said to have reached out to James on Twitter to commend his charity work.
James went on: “He respects me and he’s got a lot of compassion for what we do.”
He added: “In my opinion, that man will always be my brother. I might never see him, I might never meet him, but he’ll always be my brother.”
Depher was founded by James in 2017.
Hugh donated the same amount last year.
James said at the time: “That’s 10 boilers for people with cancer. Ten boilers for people who are dying.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a lack of funding, Burnley-based James came close to having to close down the charity.
So far, they’ve raised £51,819 of their £100,000 goal.
Donations can be made via the GoFundMe.com site.