Louchavan Lemard, Co-Founder and Director of PH247, has put his National Plumber Award prize money into a work experience programme for young adults. He is now raising £10,000 on GoFundMe to run it. Support the campaign on GoFundMe.
The fundraiser opened on 1 September 2026 and has raised £1,435 from 16 donations as of 23 September 2026.
Why Louchavan started it
Louchavan was homeless as a young person. What changed his direction was real work experience, support from the people around him, and a portfolio that showed employers what he could do. That is how he got into plumbing and heating.
He has spoken about it before. Watch the BBC video on his journey or read the Nottingham Post article on his story.
In June 2026 he won National Plumber of the Year at The Plumber Awards, held at InstallerSHOW. Read about his win. He donated the prize money and used it to start this programme.
Why it matters
981,000 young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK were not in education, employment or training between April and June 2026. That is 13% of the age group, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Most of those young people are able and willing to work. The hard part is getting a first chance to prove it.
How the programme works
Young adults get structured work experience through PH247 and, where possible, other firms and sole traders who want to support the next generation. It is aimed particularly at young adults who face barriers getting into work.
Participants will:
- work in a real professional environment
- learn what employers expect day to day
- work alongside experienced engineers
- build a personal professional portfolio
The portfolio is a key part of it. It holds evidence of their placements, feedback, achievements and the practical skills and behaviours they have shown. It gives a young person something to hand an employer when they have no work history yet.
The aim is a simple route: education or unemployment, then structured work experience, then an apprenticeship or a job.
Who is backing it
Ben Nevis Clothing is providing workwear for participants. Arctic Hayes and DiversiTech are providing starter tool kits. Powered Now and CT1 have also supported the programme.
Richard Soper, former CEO of Worcester Bosch, has backed it personally, as has Dr Henry Hung, Managing Director of RIDGID Plumbing Limited Hong Kong. Dr Hung is a past National President of CIPHE Hong Kong and a former Vice Chair of the World Plumbing Council.
Where the money goes
The £10,000 target covers the practical costs that stop a young person finishing a placement:
- travel to and from site
- lunches during placements
- programme administration and placement coordination
- mentoring and ongoing support
- building each participant’s professional portfolio
Workwear and tools are already covered by the industry partners, so donations go to the running costs.
How to help
Donate on GoFundMe. If you cannot donate, sharing the page helps it reach someone who can.
If you are an employer, a company or a sole trader who could host a placement, contact us and we will put you in touch with Louchavan.
Our work with new entrants
Louchavan came into the trade as an apprentice and won Apprentice of the Year at Level 2 and Level 3. He volunteers at Euston Skills Centre and recently helped bring donated World Plumbing Conference kit to the centre. In August 2026 he was elected to the CIPHE Board of Trustees. Our awards page has the full list of recognition for him and the company.
We have also written about our plumbing and heating apprenticeships and why skilled trades are hard to replace with AI.
About PH247
PH247 is a London plumbing, heating, drainage, gas and HIU company working within the M25. We are a WaterSafe approved contractor, and Louchavan runs our technical side.
We handle emergency plumbing, boiler repairs, blocked drains and HIU servicing and repairs. See all our services or contact us.
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