Carshalton Boilers received a special visit last Thursday from Sutton Mayor Cllr Trish Fivey and Deputy Mayor Cllr Annie Moral in recognition of its dedication to responding to the town’s heating and plumbing emergencies during the Covid-19 lockdown period.

The Mayor spent half an hour chatting to the team and John Temple and his wife Carly, who run the family business. Describing the firm’s incredible show of commitment to the Sutton community, Mayor Fivey said: “We saw first-hand how professional and effective your response has been during the lockdown. It was clear that everything you do is geared to keeping your colleagues and general public safe during the lockdown. We want to acknowledge the invaluable work that you and your staff have done during this pandemic. It has made us all aware of how much our way of life depends on all key workers. I wish to take this opportunity to thank you all.”

The couple, whose Sutton-based firm can trace its history back over 50 years, were forced to furlough the majority of their staff, however, they kept a handful of engineers carrying on throughout lockdown, ensuring that those with critical heating and plumbing issues and the most vulnerable were prioritised and swiftly attended to.

Many of its customers are elderly or were shielding and extremely anxious about letting a tradesman into the property. The Carshalton Boiler team reassured them that all government social distance guidelines would be adhered to, with engineers wearing all the required PPE and any interaction completely avoided.

During this tough period, the couple ran all functions of the business from their own home, including collecting deliveries and arranging call outs, while simultaneously juggling home-schooling their two young children. The couple were also faced with the additional challenge of ensuring the working engineers had sufficient PPE.

The Temples were extremely proud to host such special guests, paying tribute to “our brilliant team and fantastic customers who were so pleased we were able to carry on trading”.

Carly Temple adds: “It was all quite emotional for me hearing how distressed our customers were – one woman started crying when I answered the phone, thanking me that I had answered and that someone was there to help her as she had no family and did not know what to do as she had no hot water.”

As lockdown measures continue to be lifted, the Carshalton Boilers team is now back to full operating capacity.