Swansea handyman is finalist in UK-wide local hero awards competition

Swansea handyman, Ash Heynes has made it to the final 7 names that could pick up SGS Engineering’s Local Hero Awards 2022.

Voting opens today, allowing the public to choose their winner.

There’s £1000 up for grabs for the tradesman who picks up the trophy, as well as £250 for four regional finalists.

The ‘local hero’ competition being run by UK manufacturer and retailer SGS Engineering, who are looking to reward tradespeople who go above and beyond for their local community.

Last year, hero builder Graham Nash of  Pinnacle Builders in Leeds was crowned the winner in the inaugural awards, when he won the public poll (with 39% of the 2,000+ votes), thanks to his incredible hard work correcting the errors made by cowboy builders whilst working at the homes of ordinary people. Going above and beyond, Mr Nash even made the corrections completely free of charge.  

The public vote for this year’s edition has now opened, enabling friends and family, as well as the wider community, a chance to rally behind their local finalist in the hope of securing them a grand prize of £1,000, alongside the honour of being named the nation’s ‘Local Hero 2022’.  

An additional four regional finalists will take home a £250 runners-up cash prize.  

Voting closes at 11:30pm on Monday the 2^nd May, and the winner and runners up that secure the most votes will be unveiled on Thursday the 4^th May. 

The Finalists are (in alphabetical order)… 

Ash Haynes – Bruno’s Eco Services (Swansea, Wales) 

Ash responded to the cost-of-living crisis and the isolation brought on by the pandemic by offering to do gardening, cleaning and landscaping work for free for those in need. Ash also kindly offered up the time to talk to anyone who needed some company. 

Band of Builders – (Wisbech, England) 

A volunteer group made up of trade professionals, Band of Builders raised thousands of pounds to help people living within their local community and beyond. In the past year they have clubbed together to complete free-of-charge building work for those in need across the country. 

Darren McGhee – DMG Services Group (Bellshill, Scotland) 

DMG services, a roofing company, went above and beyond when they offered free repairs for elderly people, and have also offered apprenticeships for unemployed people in the local area. 

James Anderson – Depher (Burnley, England) 

A kind-hearted plumber, James has responded to the energy price crisis by continuing his fantastic work with Depher, standing for Disability and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair. 

Depher has completed vital plumbing work for elderly and unwell people who were desperately in need. 

Naima Ben-Moussa – Lady in Red Plastering (Buxton, England) 

Naima is a female plasterer who has thrived in a traditionally male dominated industry, making the headlines by fixing walls destroyed by domestic abusers for free. More recently, she has even set up her own charity to help domestic abuse survivors. 

One Transformations Group (Pontypool, Wales) 

Volunteers from the company teamed up with other local businesses to create a wonderful garden for a local blind woman after a rogue builder had left it in a sorry state.  

Steve Parker – Parkers Plumbing and Bathroom Installations (Northampton, England) 

Steve is a plumber who kindly offered to fix the boilers of elderly people aged 65 and over that live near his local village of Irchester during the winter. 

Dave Gordon, General Manager at SGS Engineering explained:  “The Local Hero Awards 2021 brought some heart-warming stories in to the spotlight during what was a very difficult time for people up and down the country, including those who took elderly customers for a fish supper, and of course our winner Graham Nash, who bravely tackled the shoddy work of cowboy builders. 

“Looking through the finalists for this year, it is fantastic to see a new crop of tradespeople working wonders for the people in their local area and demonstrating acts of true kindness. 

“It is now in the UK’s hands to determine who wins this fantastic cash prize. We’re also very happy to be able to share that that some of the regional finalists will each receive £250 in cash too – it’s our way of saying thank you on behalf of those they’ve helped.” 

You can vote online at SGS Engineering’s website.

(Lead image: Ash Heynes)