Intergas has played a part in a plan to create a community for war veterans in east Manchester, and veteran Simon Flores and his children are set to move into the final refurbished property, specially adapted for the 36-year-old Iraq war veteran. This bespoke final home is being delivered the BBC’s DIY SOS team, Manchester City Council, charities Haig Housing Trust, Walking with The Wounded and key contractors Kier, Wates, Arcus, architects BTP plus hundreds of generous volunteer contractors and suppliers.
Simon, a Corporal in the Royal Green Jackets – a infantry regiment in the Light Division – lost his foot and suffered other severe injuries when the vehicle he was in was hit by an improvised explosive device during a patrol. Following his military service, Simon has been living in an un-adapted two bed house in a poor state of repair, sharing one of the bedrooms with his youngest son.
It was a nine-day build and manufacturers and tradespeople were on hand to give their products and skills for free. Intergas was delighted to work with the DIY SOS team to create a heating system that will provide Simon’s heat and hot water. Its flagship Eco RF 30 boiler was selected for a variety of reasons, but the primary one being its remote monitoring facility. It comes fitted with a radio frequency module which sends and receives information wirelessly between the boiler and installer. So now Drew Styles, the P5 heating engineer who worked with Pemberton Plumbing Heating and electrical Services on its installation, will be checking the Eco RF’s performance from his phone and computer, and make any adjustments necessary remotely.
An appointment was made for Intergas Business Development Manager Mark Prescott and Drew Styles to show Simon how to use the Intouch app, a free app for the ECO RF, which turns a smartphone into a smart thermostat. But Simon was ahead of them and had already set it up. “The instructions were very straightforward and Intouch is easy to operate. When Mark and Drew arrived, they checked I’d done everything correctly – I had – and then took me through the boiler operation,” said Simon.
Simon will be able to control every aspect of his central heating when he’s not at home. And he’s also now more in control of his destiny and is planning to fulfil his dream of becoming a fitness trainer to fellow amputees, helping them to re-build their lives. Simon and other veterans in Newton Heath are supported by veterans’ charity, Walking with the Wounded.
To make a donation, please visit: www.walkingwiththewounded.org.uk
