About An Hour For Others
Find out who we are and why An Hour for Others is so important to us.
An Hour For Others' story is a tale of two people:
Meet Kev and Gill...who turned one hour into a movement across Liverpool.
It Started With a Paintbrush. Kev Morland is a painter and decorator by trade. In 2014, he had an idea that seemed simple enough: what if people gave an hour of their time, whenever they could, to help someone who was genuinely in need in their community?
He put the idea out on Facebook. Within days, close to a hundred people had come forward — lawyers, joiners, roofers, gas fitters, drivers, childminders, choirs, tutors — all willing to give an hour of their skills to somebody in Liverpool who needed it.
Kev's first project was a room in West Everton, used for kids' playschemes, a stroke club, art classes, and bingo for the elderly. He gave over 60 hours of his own time to transform it, with a friend covering the cost of materials.
It was never meant to be the start of a charity. It was just meant to help.
But it didn't stop there....
Alongside Kev is Gill Watkins, an accountant, who brought the structure, planning, and steady hand needed to turn a Facebook post into a registered charity that could be trusted to keep growing.
Together, Kev and Gill alongside a great team, have spent a dozen years running An Hour For Others alongside their own businesses and lives — matching people who have something to give with people who need it. Furniture rescued and redirected to community groups. Children from families facing real hardship given a day at the football, with a meal included, and a break from circumstances no child should have to carry.
Rooms transformed. Skills shared. Hours, given freely, adding up to something much bigger than any one person could offer alone.
Our Story
An Hour for Others was founded by Kevin Morland and Gill Watkins, whose own lived experiences shaped their determination to help people believe in themselves, regardless of the challenges they may face.
Kevin’s early experiences of low confidence and feeling that he did not fit within traditional education shaped his understanding of how easily people can lose belief in themselves. At 14 years old, experiencing the tragedy at Hillsborough with his father and brother changed his perspective on life and made him believe he had a purpose in life to help make the world around him a better place..
Gill’s journey has also shaped the heart of the charity. Following a life-changing car accident at 15, Gill experienced significant physical and emotional challenges. As a young mother, she later faced domestic abuse and a period where she felt unable to see a way forward. With support, determination and resilience, Gill rebuilt her life, returned to education, qualified as an accountant and went on to achieve professional success.
These experiences created a shared belief between Kevin and Gill:
People should never be defined by the circumstances they have experienced.
Their own journeys demonstrated the power of resilience, opportunity, support and someone believing in you.
This belief became the foundation of An Hour for Others.
What began from a simple idea in November 2013 has grown into a charity that brings together thousands of acts of kindness every year.
The charity’s success is built on the belief that everyone has something to contribute, whether that is an hour of time, a professional skill, a donation, a life experience, a business partnership or simply showing someone that they matter.
The team at An Hour for Others also bring their own lived experiences, which the charity believes is one of its greatest strengths. This understanding creates genuine connection with the people supported and helps ensure that services are delivered with compassion, dignity and respect.
"It dawned on me that personal responsibility - doing our bit to help our community is the key to real, positive change in our world. The solutions to many of our problems are in everyone, no matter their role or where they are, actively contributing to creating a better society, putting each other first and showing compassion.
Kevin Morland, AHFO Founder
