Wigan electrician is a spark of human kindness

Over the years, Karl Mather, owner of KDM Electrical, has helped out many elderly and vulnerable people, with his work seeing him earn praise and awards.

And Karl has continued to do his good deeds over lockdown, helping a number of residents in the borough with projects such as rewiring.

The 39-year-old from Swinley said he wanted to “give something back” to people struggling in the current hard times.

He said: “The daughter of one lady rang up saying her mum’s house needed some rewiring done.

“When I got to the house, she burst into tears and said the electrician hadn’t done the work properly and had charged her.

“So I offered to do the work for free and reported the engineer to trading standards.

“There was also an elderly gentleman whose house was falling to pieces and I did some work for him.”

Karl said he has also helped homeless charity Helping The Homeless, which a friend of his Dawn French, was involved in setting up.

He said: “When people are housed, they need electrical work doing, so I would do that for them or give them free appliances.

“I just want to give something back and help vulnerable people.”

In the past, Karl paid for an elderly couple’s new heaters after realising they couldn’t afford it.

The unnamed couple in their eighties faced Christmas in the cold after their heating broke.

But that all changed when Karl was drafted into help, with his good deed earning him praise from Emma Clancy, CEO of the NICEIC, a regulatory body for the electrical contracting industry.

And Karl’s human touch hasn’t gone unrecognised, with him becoming one of eight tradesmen to reach the final of Screwfix’s Britain’s Top Tradesperson 2017, out of more than 5,000 applicants.

His business has since expanded and his success has seen him win a housing contract for three building sites in Preston and Congleton.

He said: “I just love what I do. I will always go the extra mile to help my customers, especially those in need.”

Dawn, who works with the homeless and other people who are vulnerable and in need, said: “Karl is an amazing human being.

“He is one of Wigan’s unsung heroes who goes out of his way to help those who are really struggling.

“He doesn’t have to do it but he does because he is such a kind-hearted person.”