The Big Build - Telford DIY SOS

We were four good friends, me, Emily, Luke and Matthew.

Matthew likes to have fun

and just be funny and friendly towards people.

They were good times, before he went to hospital.

It was a really emotional time.

We're coming to Telford because these guys called for us.

Please, please, please help my best friend Matthew come home.

Yours sincerely, Emily.

They're prepared to fight for their friend, so are we.

DIY SOS have just rung

and the answer to changing Matthew's house is yes!

CHEERING

This little boy has had the fight of his life

and now we need to build a new start

and get him and his family back home.

But it won't be easy.

I think you've got a mammoth task on.

He's not wrong.

Who put their foot through the ceiling?

That's what I want to know.

Oh, it's horrible, it's horrible.

It feels like the end of the world out here.

It does to me.

Although I guarantee it will be worth it.

Open your eyes.

Oh, wow.

CHEERING

Are you ready to come home?

We have just nine days to complete the build,

all the usual suspects are here.

Our designer is Gabriel Blackman.

And we don't have to ask where we're going to get an army this week,

because they're already here.

This is DIY SOS: The Big Build!

CHEERING

Telford in Shropshire is home to Lee and Sue Cooper.

They grew up next door to one another

and started dating as teenagers.

Well, Sue used to go past and walk her dog.

And I just said to her, "How do you fancy coming out?"

Didn't I?

He's always made me laugh.

The couple got married, but after a number of years of trying,

they were told they couldn't have children.

But the unexpected happened, and in 2004 Sue gave birth.

We had Matthew when I was 36.

It was just total shock.

-Yeah, it was.

-That was my reaction.

Being a parent, it's everything.

Matthew was a really kind little boy.

Very popular boy at school.

I knew he had friends, but I didn't realise actually how many.

He was the first person I met when I moved to Telford.

We used to go to swimming lessons together, with Gabe as well.

He looked at my shoes and I looked at his shoes, and I was like,

"Oh, we've got the same shoes," and we became friends.

We used to do pranks on people all the time.

Matthew also liked collecting.

Matthew does like Doctor Who.

And we did get quite a few Daleks

that we started to go through and repair.

I'd be in the kitchen cooking and numerous Daleks will then come in

and just say, "Stop what you're doing or I'll exterminate you."

I'd just say, "Go on, then," and they do.

In 2015, the family went on holiday to Devon.

But Matthew didn't seem himself.

I saw Matthew starting to sort of struggle and stumble a bit.

He'd stand up and he'd just fall down.

He'd lose his balance.

I phoned the doctors and booked an appointment.

They said they were going to do some tests,

but they were going to keep him in.

And he never went home.

Matthew was taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Scans showed multiple cancerous tumours in his brain

and all the way down his spine.

They were really, really dark days.

Matthew said to me, "Mum, I've got a tumour."

And I said, "Yeah." And he said, "Am I going to die?"

And I said, "No."

I said, "No, it's not going to kill you."

But you have to keep going for them,

you know, you can't show them that you're frightened.

You have to be strong.

It was my son, wasn't it?

I couldn't believe

that that could happen,

to be honest with you.

Matthew underwent life-saving surgery

to remove the largest tumour in his head.

Two hours after the procedure, his brain started to shut down.

He collapsed and he was placed on life support.

Just all sort of went wrong, didn't it?

-Yeah.

-From there, really.

They struggled to control his blood pressure.

Which then led to Matthew having two strokes.

I just sat and cried every day.

The strokes paralysed his arms and legs

and he was in a critical condition, surviving hour to hour.

I leant over to Matthew and I just said, "Don't leave me."

And a tear came down from his eye, and I thought, "He's heard me."

And every day, he just kept fighting and fighting.

18 months on, age 12,

the strokes have left Matthew with limited movement and no speech.

We used to talk so much.

I think I'm going to forget what he sounded like.

He is a changed little boy.

But his friends have continued to give their love and support.

-I'll start.

-Hello.

-Hello, it's Gabe.

-Luke.

-Emily!

Visiting him in hospital and keeping his spirits up.

I visit him every Sunday.

We go and see him because it makes him a lot happier

seeing all his friends.

Who was the tenth Doctor?

Here is what I found.

-It did it!

-It guessed David Tennant, it's got it right!

I hope one day he might be able to get out of his wheelchair

and do a lot more.

The whole family are exhausted by permanently living in hospital.

You don't sleep in there, because there's alarms,

there's emergency buzzers.

It's constantly moving.

They all want to come home,

but their house is completely unsuitable for Matthew,

so they're trapped.

He's on a ventilator.

If we arrived there now,

we wouldn't physically be able to get Matthew in.

Matthew's equipment and his wheelchair

mean access is hard and moving around is impossible.

The bathroom is upstairs, the corridors, doorways and layout

would mean that Matthew might never come home.

He'd just be stuck inside, in the one room,

and that's not being a family.

That's worse than being in hospital.

So that's why we're here.

We need to rebuild this house to give the little lad a chance

to recover and the whole family an opportunity for a new start.

You all right there? Good.

Are you excited about us coming to do the house?

You are. Now, plainly, the last couple of years

have been really difficult and got more difficult

as you've gone along. The question this morning, I suppose,

is what do you actually need from us?

What is it that you need us to switch around?

Well, getting into the house.

-Yeah.

-And then obviously around the house,

it's being able to access as much as possible down the stairs.

So, basically, you need more space downstairs, don't you?

I mean, not that there's anything wrong with the house,

but there's not enough of it for what you need, is there?

No. It's not accessible for him.

Just want to be a family, don't we?

So he can join in everything that's downstairs.

What do you reckon, Matthew? Is it time for you to come home?

This is really, really big.

I really think you're going to struggle to do it within the nine days.

Do you think they're going to do it in the nine days?

-There you go, see!

-Thumb up if you think they're going to do it.

Good boy.

Lee's right - it is a colossal job.

But Matthew's not the only one feeling optimistic.

This community have turned out in force to help one of their own.

I know we're asking for the Earth,

and I think you've got a mammoth task on!

So we're going to get started. Can we get him home?

-ALL:

-Yes!

Go on, Matthew!

So, for now, it's goodbye to the family and hello hard labour.

Come on, let's get started.

We've got over 100 people on site today...

All the electricians with Billy.

One, two...

..although most of them appear to be sparks.

18, 19...

-That's ridiculous!

-20.

That is absolutely ridiculous!

Is there anybody here who isn't an electrician?

First on the to-do list is gutting, stripping and clearing.

It's all chaos in here, absolute chaos.

We can't get started because of walls that are coming down.

I'm not sure they've even seen the plans.

They just know everything on the inside has to go.

I take it this is all coming out then, Baz?

Around the back, there's a 30-foot garden that needs clearing.

Heading up the green team is...

Jules.

Oh, my goodness.

And this week, he's working with a local garden designer.

-Sarah, darling.

-Yes, my darling?

To make this space shiny and new and green,

it needs digging over and clearing.

Then there's about 100 tonnes of new stuff waiting to come in.

But Jules has already seen a problem.

Our main access for the job is through someone else's garden,

through their garage and out around the houses.

But there's no access for a digger or nothing.

Which upsets me deeply.

No doubt. Because without a mechanical digger,

Jules is looking at having to remove everything in here by hand.

On this build, we've had to get ahead of ourselves.

Mark's ordered an old extension to be demolished.

Building site.

Because we needed larger, new foundations laid

so we can start building on it instantly.

New part of the house.

Big job we've got on this one. We've got a wrap round extension on here,

which is a structural insulated panel,

which is going to go right round the building on two sides.

It's going to be absolutely lovely.

And heavy.

There's loads of things to do, but it's good fun.

Did you catch that? Quite quick, wasn't it?

So we're extending the house at the back and side,

it's very big and, without fail,

it needs to go up by the end of the day.

Keep going, don't put it down.

That's because we're fitting around six months' work

into just nine days.

Here to tell us all about it

and how her design ideas will slow us down

is the lovely, smiley Gabrielle Blackman.

Sometimes I get the feeling that you don't take design

entirely seriously, or even care.

Do you know what, it's been an ongoing joke over the years.

I joke about the fact that design isn't really that important

and the build is important, but the main thing for me is to keep quiet

-and let you explain it.

-Nick-splaining.

Because if I keep carrying on, interrupting,

how are you ever going to get your point across?

Thanks, Nick. Let me explain.

The existing extension, seen here in red,

is going to be demolished

and replaced by a brand-new area for Matthew,

including a fabulous bedroom,

a gorgeous wet room and a spare room for friends.

In the centre of the house, I'll get someone to tear down the walls,

and just you wait till you see the sumptuous open-plan space.

A beautiful kitchen, dining area and an elegant living room.

-Voila!

-Yes, thank you, Gabi.

We'll also be working upstairs.

Matthew's medicine can safely be stored

in this small new office room.

There's a guest bedroom and a family bathroom.

In Lee and Sue's bedroom,

we'll be fitting a fully-integrated alarm system

that links with Matthew's area.

And that's not all.

We can't have Matthew not using the outside space,

so Jules will be building a lovely wheelchair-friendly garden,

whilst it's Gabi's job to do the house,

because she's a strong, powerful woman.

I'm a strong, powerful ginger woman on a building site,

with a set of plans.

Things are going to happen and it's all going to be amazing.

Well, there's no argument with that, is there?

Not yet, anyway, give me time.

Now, that is not looking very pretty, is it?

That's looking very, very angry.

The meerkat knows we are due horrible weather,

but for now we're cracking on.

As predicted, inside, the guys are busy ripping down the last

of the internal walls, and we're holding up the ceiling...

..with this man, Big Jim.

And reinforced joists, obviously.

Steel coming in!

It's like a lot of ants, innit, holding it up.

Cos ants can carry more than their own body weight.

Is that right, Bill? Big naturist, is our Bill, or so he tells me.

Lovely.

Still, we wouldn't do a build without him.

Or him.

Or her.

Since his illness, Matthew has been stuck in hospital for 18 months,

and so have his parents.

We want to change that, but we're not the only ones.

Matthew's school, headed up by headmistress Julie Henry,

were determined to try and get him home

and started a fundraising campaign

that turned out to be very successful.

We decided that we couldn't bear the thought of him

being stuck in Birmingham and not being able to come home.

We've raised £52,000.

So, from tiny little amounts of 5p for a slice of cake

to thousands of pounds from parents,

we just did all we could to try and sort something out, our own DIY SOS.

The money wasn't enough to adapt Matthew's house,

so Mrs Henry and her students also wrote to us

for help in getting him home.

You have spread a little bit of magic in this world. Well done.

CHEERING

We've now got that little package to be able to help Matthew

with physiotherapy and equipment that he needs,

just to make his life as comfortable as he can.

Are you as surprised as everybody else is at the response

that the community has made in coming forward and joining in?

Definitely, yeah, absolutely. I think it's been good for school

because it's shown the children the world is full of really good people.

And that's a really amazing lesson, don't you think?

Great things can happen when a community pulls together.

And, speaking of which, look at that extension.

The outer shell is already up, with internal rooms starting to emerge.

But, in the garden, not so much.

We're looking at groundworks,

we're having to make hardcore surfaces and bases,

building structures, walls.

It's a slow start and it's making Jules twitchy.

-The whole patio area is resin-bound.

-Is it? I like that stuff.

So, that's got to be reduced, hardcored up.

-At least if we had the machine in there...

-Little digger.

Little digger, we could fill a wheelbarrow, barrow everything in.

'It is a solid argument he makes for a digger

'but I'm going to have to ignore him.

'As the entrance is only just wide enough for one person,

'he just can't have one. That's it, finished.'

You'll just have to work round it. I can't solve every problem for you.

I basically want to put my problem on to you. That's basically it.

-So that you can feel that it's no longer your problem!

-Yeah.

'You see, I'm very much like the team's bearded fairy godmother.

'Look, here I am, fixing problems.'

'Yeah, your up pipe is going to clash with your SIPs panel.

'And here's another example of my generosity

'and they inevitably make a long line and thank me.'

Essentially, he is the least qualified person on the entire site.

He's the only person here that has no skills.

Everyone else actually has a job to do.

So, his job in his eyes is just to annoy me. That's his job.

'Yeah, well, that's not entirely true.

'There are other people in the crew I need to irritate.'

Very fat cameraman, he's not going to get through there. Give me that.

'Once we press go, it's truly astonishing

'what can happen in one day. These guys are amazing.'

Excuse me, gentlemen. Have a look here.

This is the other part of the extension.

Despite the fact we've only been going a few hours,

we actually do have an extension on both sides.

'And it wraps all the way round the house,

'giving loads of extra room in what will be Matthew's area.

'Upstairs, I have to say, the joiners have excelled themselves.'

None of these rooms are the same shape that they started out

when we first came in. There's so much happening, it's ridiculous.

'We were expecting wet weather and now it's definitely here.

'But we human beings, we're waterproof, right? Like ducks.'

SHE WAILS

-Why are we doing the first fix in the rain?

-Timing! Come on!

It's going to ruin my hair!

It's absolutely pouring down out there

and everyone's still just working away.

Are you really doing the first fix in the rain?

To get the first fix in. Yeah.

-So they can crack on with their bits.

-OK.

SHE LAUGHS

Excellent.

Love it.

'OK, so it's not ideal working conditions

'but there's a schedule to stick to

'and these guys know we need to keep our foot on the gas.'

Look at this, we've put a new beam down the centre of the house.

That's going to hold up the middle of the house

once we've taken all these acrow props away and it's all set.

But it's out that way that it gets really interesting.

You're into the main extension, where, around to the left,

there is a spare room.

This is his new bedroom. Go through that way.

This is his wet room which is a great size.

And, come through, this is where he'll be sleeping and living.

It's a really big, big extension, isn't it?

All we have to do tomorrow is get a roof on

so we don't keep getting wet.

# It's a new dawn, it's a new day! #

And I'm sort of feeling good. Hello, Telford.

-Two sugars in there, is that right?

-That's right.

-Bad for your teeth, you know.

-Yeah, I know.

THEY LAUGH

'He's looking remarkably jolly this morning, isn't he?

'In the house, the major work is happening downstairs

'in what will be the family areas.

'And there's lots to do to make it inhabitable.'

First day I saw him outside the house

it just made me realise how much it's worth doing.

'It is worth doing and, having built the colossal extension yesterday,

'we need to start building rooms.'

Billy has very kindly stayed on with his sparks last night

to get that extension wired.

They've just got to connect all their ends up.

We can start putting ceilings up.

'As well as a massive build,

'we also have a rather ambitious design spec.'

So, I've been working with Nick for a few years now

and he doesn't like designers, he finds us incredibly annoying.

So I'm trying... On this build, I want to be prepared

and see if I can head it off at the pass.

'No, no, no, you have me all wrong.

'I am here for you to advise and guide.

'How can I assist you and your vision?'

Morning, clever designer. How are you?

I'm not good. Why are you here so early?

I've normally got a few more hours.

I thought I'd get up and get at it this morning.

There's a lot to do, places to see, things to talk to.

You know, all that stuff.

-What are you doing here?

-I've come to help.

SHE SPLUTTERS

'Here are some people that are truly helping, not disrupting.'

You just take for granted what you've got as a family.

They haven't got it. So it's nice to give back.

-Touches home, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

Two young kids of my own. Never expect it to happen to anybody.

I grew up with a disabled brother and my mum was on her own.

Just watching her struggle every day for years.

Then Pete said about this and it was like, yeah,

come and help this family.

She'd be very proud of you. Is she still around?

No, she passed away with my brother. In the space of two weeks.

-That's a tough start.

-Yeah, it was, it was hard. But, like I say,

when we heard about this, we had to help. We had to come and help.

Matthew was ten when he was diagnosed with cancer.

His life has changed but his friends have not.

Jules has joined Emily, Gabe, Luke and Matthew,

along with headmistress Julie Henry,

to join in with another of this bright young man's interests.

It's a bit bumpy, isn't it?

Beautiful, the one on the right. Yes.

-That's the female, isn't it?

-No, the left one's the female.

-OK.

I like the one on the left!

Matthew's friendships are a very important thing for him.

Well, it is for every child, isn't it?

They were a really close, little clique, the four of them.

So, for them to continue that friendship,

and the difference that made to Matthew,

his little face used to light up when people visited him.

It kept him in touch with what the gossip was at school.

And what was going on in their lives as well.

Those visits were hugely important.

OWL SCREECHES

Hello, guys.

So, this is little Maddie. Pretty small, isn't she?

Do you like her?

You can stroke her, she's very gentle.

I think we're still friends because it's, like,

we've been through a lot together and that helps.

That's it. Well done, guys.

They wanted to do their bit for Matthew,

he's climbed his own mountain, they wanted to climb theirs.

So, they decided to go up Snowdon.

We climbed a mountain because it would raise money

and get him home faster.

It was easy at the beginning even though it was steep.

As the day progressed, it got very difficult.

We wanted to get to the top.

We thought of Matthew in hospital and that's what kept us going.

OWL HOOTS

-This is Boris.

-It's really big.

He has huge eyes.

OWL HOOTS

They went through blood, sweat and tears.

And I think they managed to raise about £2,000 on their own.

It was amazing, we never thought we would get that much.

'How proud must their parents be.

'And I wonder whether you've done as much for your friends

'as they've done for theirs.

'Back on site, we're still shifting the old stuff

'and bringing in the new.'

-What are you up to today?

-Crane.

We've got a crane coming in, in a minute, to lift my digger in

and these bags of hard...core and stuff.

Why ask if you're not interested?

'Yeah, very rude. But, then, we all knew that, one way or another,

'he was going to get his crane in.'

I'd like to ride over in the digger, but they wouldn't let me.

That'd put them over the weight limit, before you say it.

I didn't want to say anything, but, you know. Everything's got a limit!

It's a big boy's toy, Thunderbird 4 is here.

I love this machine.

Flying like an eagle.

That's a pretty sight, though, isn't it?

That, actually, makes me feel very, very, very, very, very happy.

Get the chains off, get the chains off!

You know I play the old didgeridoo? And I can play any piece of pipe?

HE STRUGGLES TO PRODUCE A NOTE

-Very good.

-I've been practising.

-I can now play a tune.

-No.

-Yeah, check this out. Ready?

MUSIC: Careless Whisper by George Michael.

Odell!

THEY CHEER

'How cool was that?

'Odell is actually involved with the crane, so not only do we get

'a crane, we get an Odell and some music to dance to.

'And they've started felting the roof.'

OK this end.

'The introduction of a digger

'has changed Julian's attitude completely.'

# We plough the fields and scatter... #

'Yep, available for pantomime or grading soil.

'He's doing a great job out here, isn't he?

'Upstairs is also looking in rude health,

'Billy's team have completely rewired it.'

HE SHOUTS OUT

THEY CHEER

'Now they're working their electrical way

'through the downstairs before the other trades get in and take over.'

Tomorrow, there'll be a lot of plasterboarders in

and they'll want a lot of room.

So we are trying to get well ahead of them.

-We're having a boxing-out party!

-THEY CHEER

'Yes, as exciting as that seems, I think I'll skip it

'and I'll leave it to you, thanks, Bill!'

It's another day on site and another long list of jobs to do.

SKA MUSIC PLAYS And this is just a take and a bit of ska to dance to, join in at home.

For the sake of design, you just have to think of

how you want those brackets.

We'll just have to do a gallows bracket,

but as really crisp and contemporary as possible.

There's nothing else, absolutely no other options.

-Argh!

-Argh!

-HE LAUGHS

-Stop doing that!

It's wrong, isn't it?

This is why I get so tense.

'It's less shouty on the inside!

'Because, as promised, Billy's team have cleared the path for this lot.'

We've got the boarders in today.

Boarding, patching, maybe some skimming later.

'Yep, there's nearly 400 square metres of boards to go on the walls.

'In case you're wondering how much that is,

'it's the size of 25 double-decker buses. That's a lot.'

-There's plenty of trades here, isn't there?

-Got a lot of good blokes.

'And we're going to need every single one of them.

'Dealing with a serious illness can be an isolating experience,

'as Barney Schofield and his wife Louise know.

'Their son Fergus was on the same ward as Matthew in Birmingham

'but sadly lost his life.

'In the toughest of times, Matthew's dad was there for them.'

It was Lee who looked at me over a cup of tea in the coffee room

on the ward and went, "Are you OK?"

And, actually, that kind of look and that kind of support

makes you know that you're not on your own. I'll always be thankful

for Matthew's family to show me, one, how to do it

and, two, to look after me while we went through our battle.

What's interesting is that they're very hard on themselves

about how they dealt with it.

I mean, they were brilliant.

What a fantastic, fantastic set of parents. They were an inspiration.

They've had the surgery, the chemo.

This is the next challenge, isn't it?

'The strokes have robbed Matthew of his speech.

'He's on a mobile ventilator and has limited movement.

'For Dad Lee, I know the emotional battle must be ongoing.'

Which was the hardest time for you, the diagnosis

or the time after the operation, he was struggling?

-The diagnosis.

-Was it?

-Yeah.

I just seriously couldn't handle it because all that I could see was

a big hole and no way out of it.

It was as if someone had taken a big hammer to my world

and just smashed it completely.

-Because your heart was broken?

-Yeah, yeah, well and truly.

Sue did exceptionally well in the beginning.

I don't know what I would have done without her.

But then, when Sue was struggling, I was able to step up.

It just seems incredibly hard as a dad to think about that situation

because it's taken a lot of things away.

It's taken a hell of a lot of things away.

And things that you take for granted.

Obviously, communication.

But, you know, we do our best.

I think I'd be angry, I'm not sure who at.

Erm... Not angry at all.

Where would it get us?

Where would it get Matthew?

Because I think you'll only channel what you're doing

in one direction and, at the moment,

Matthew is that direction that we need to channel

to try and get as much help and support for him that we can.

And will the house help with that?

The house will help immensely with that.

Let's get him home amongst his family

and so his friends can come round too

and give you the best opportunity for that to go as well as it can.

Unbelievable.

-I still can't believe it!

-HE CHUCKLES

'Lee is a very patient and unassuming man.

'But it's clear these last 18 months have been tough.

'So, let's get this done.'

'Three days in and their house is in bits.

'And it looks like Jules has gone completely berserk with the digger.'

This is a very, very big hole.

We've got to do a soakaway for all the rain water

off the back of the property. But, the problem is, we've hit clay.

-As you can imagine...

-Oh, no.

-..a clay hole in the ground

-doesn't soak away water very well.

-No.

'To avoid this garden being a massive swimming pool,

'we need a soakaway, or a giant hole filled with stones to help drainage.

'So, that's what we're building.

'But it's going to delay the entire plan out here by about two days.

'And, with the rain, the place is an utter mess.'

-It feels like the end of the world out here.

-It does to me.

THEY LAUGH

'As the garden designer, call that man management?!

'At least the extension's looking in pretty good shape.

'Today, the name of the game is to get it completely bricked up.'

We have an issue, there isn't enough bricks on site. Two packs short.

'These guys are working so efficiently

'we're running out of materials.'

Excuse me, camera!

'And, if they're not properly fed throughout with what they need,

'it's Mark's fault.'

'No, that's not right.

'No! Don't do that! Don't...

'Argh, no, not that kind!

'His job is to keep the build running roughly on time

'and answering questions, but most of them are generated from...'

I think we just keep it square edge, really beautifully done, but simple.

-Are you sure that's it?

-Yeah.

-So, you're going to walk away now?

-I think you should.

-This is...

-It's you that makes it all difficult.

-Thank you, Dave!

-Oi!

Dave knows you were the one...

-Could you hold them for me, please?

-The truth hurts, doesn't it?

SHE SQUEALS

No! Bullying in the workplace!

THEY ALL LAUGH

How is that OK? Is that OK?

'Er, BBC guideline book, tickling...'

I'm going to get Big Jim and he's going to go

-and stick you in a cupboard.

-You and your bigwigs don't scare me.

-Billy wouldn't do that, would you?

-What's that, Magic?

You wouldn't throw me across a whole load of plasterboard, would you?

I couldn't pick you up!

What is going on today?

'From a health and safety point of view, we've got forklifts, anyway.

'Listen, bricks. We've almost finished the entire

'wraparound extension and we have screed going down.'

Going to mix it there, through a long tube,

into the floors at the back and give us nice and level floors.

OWL HOOTS

Ain't it strange and quiet? Everyone's gone.

Night-night.

'Night-night, Billy.

'Watch the door, Billy. To the right...

'Night-night, Billy.'

'We've now chucked around 4,500 man-hours at this place,

'and we're halfway through.

'Building, good. Garden, quagmire.'

Oh, it's horrible, it's horrible.

# I hate this weather. I hate this weather. #

It's a nightmare, frankly.

'It was wet yesterday but, overnight,

'we've had buckets full of rain

'making the clay soil nice and sticky.'

It's not ideal weather for gardening.

'Today, their main job is to fill in the massive hole they dug yesterday

'with hard-core and level the site as best they can.

'It's certainly not an office job.'

It's horrible. It is horrible. It is pouring down, isn't it?

There's only one good thing about it.

You do get to dress in some really nice rain gear.

Check me out.

But anyway, I must whip on.

I've got an army of wheelbarrows waiting for me.

'Meanwhile, on the inside...'

This is the calm before the storm.

See these guys behind you?

Plasterers.

Special breed.

You know when you see the athletes on the starting blocks?

That's what's happening here, you see.

I am one of them, I know what they're thinking.

Who's going to do that? I want that big ceiling, there.

You wait, in a minute, one of them will start mixing and that'll be it.

It'll be like wolves on a fallen deer.

'Did he say like wolves on a fallen deer?'

Commitment, commitment. Powder and water, powder and water.

No going back now.

Run for your life, seriously.

Once they start, that's it.

NICK IMITATES A HOWLING WOLF, THEN CHUCKLES

'Outside is also receiving a covering

'on what will be Matthew's wet room and bedroom.

'Over the past 18 months, Matthew has been stuck in hospital

'but his friends have visited him.'

Do you want to see this video, one my sister made?

'Coming home will be such a big deal.

'Gabi wants to make sure his room is exactly right.

'So, she met up with Gabe, Emily and Luke in search of ideas.'

So, I've heard he's a big Doctor Who fan?

-Yes, definitely.

-He loves Doctor Who.

So, do you think he'd be happy with a Doctor Who vibe in his bedroom?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Amazing.

Cos we just happen to have a lovely lady called Rachel

who is one of the official comic book artists for Doctor Who.

And she can make you guys and Matthew into four superheroes.

-What do you reckon?

-Yeah!

Let's get Rachel in and she can show us what it's all about.

Rachel, come on in here. So, here's Rachel.

-Hiya!

-This is Emily, this is Luke, and this is Gabe.

Hi, guys.

So, this is our brief.

-Gabe?

-Headphones that shoot homing missiles!

What?

Yeah, that's great, yeah.

-Wings, like an eagle.

-Oh, cool, yeah, totally.

I want a horse and rocket shoes.

-RACHEL LAUGHS

-On the horse, or on you?

-On me.

-RACHEL LAUGHS

Now, brief for Matthew?

-Green.

-Yeah, green.

-Green suit.

-A green suit.

-Daleks everywhere.

-Daleks.

He could use something to control them.

If his gloves controlled the Daleks, would that be quite cool?

If it could be like boop-boop-boop?

-I was so excited about this.

-Yeah, I'm really excited to draw these.

These are great ideas for characters.

These are excellent. So, well done. Yeah.

'That's exciting.

'Back on the build, we now have just three days left.

'But it feels like we've turned a corner.

'We have flooring going down and, in the extension,

'there's intriguing work happening in Matthew's bedroom.'

I think it's going blue after this. It's just a base coat at the moment.

'There is also movement in Matthew's wet room.'

Looking good!

Matthew likes Doctor Who.

When you stand back, it just gives you the feature of the cubes

and the boxes. Good choice.

'And the kitchen boys are in the house.'

We're getting it all done today.

All the way through till seven o'clock.

The worktops are coming soon, apparently.

So, it's get in, get it done.

'And it's the same story upstairs.'

Who's put their foot through the roof?

'Or maybe not.'

What are we going to do? We've got a bit of a problem.

-Plumber come through, didn't he?

-Did he?

-Yeah. Good old plumbers!

That was obviously a plumber. Obviously. Clearly.

Oh, dear!

Right, gents. Who put their foot through the ceiling,

that's what I want to know?

-Sparkies.

-Sparkies.

-Oh, was it?

Down the stairs, Billy said, oh, it was the plumbers.

'Well, he gets befuddled.'

You're not an electrician, are you?

No. I'm the one who's got to put the hole right.

GIGGLING

'There we go. Problem solved.

'And that's because today we've got just about every imaginable trade

'on site to help out.

'Then there's this one, slowing things up, demanding loveliness.'

Where is the loveliness?

SHE GIGGLES

'See, I told you.'

They just will not ever listen, the designers, will they?

So, essentially, we beg them to go big tiles,

they always go little tiles.

We're all working to try and get the job done as quickly as possible

and find time-saving opportunities.

The designers work in exactly the opposite direction

and will not compromise in the slightest.

-Not as easy as we thought.

-What's going on?

Thank you. Thank you so much.

'It is amazing. She manages to ask for something in such a way

'with a smile that people like doing it.'

-Am I helping or being annoying?

-No, you're great.

All right, my darling. I'll leave you to it.

'It's some form of sorcery.'

Why has it suddenly changed direction?

THEY CHUCKLE

He doesn't like designers. He doesn't like quality.

He doesn't like beautiful things.

You know, he's just an unhappy man.

-What would you call that?

-Dark blue.

That's not dark blue, that greeny-blue, isn't it?

-Dark blue.

-You're saying dark blue as well, are you?

She's got you that much under her thumb

that you're prepared to say what she says?

'How does she do it?'

The tiles are...

The tiles are...

lovely.

We should use those again.

Hang on a second, you've just done it to me!

-It's all fine.

-It's not all fine.

I'm being... I'm being managed.

'And I am not the only one being managed.

'Jules has his hands full.

'Or is it the other way around?'

-She just put her hand on my bottom.

-Well, you can't help it.

-Digger driver's bottom.

-Digger driver's bottom!

SHE LAUGHS

-I've got gardener's thighs.

-Oh, have you?

-Oh, yes, yes.

I'm not going to have a rub.

THEY LAUGH

No, you're not! Not with that man standing there, at least, anyway!

'Yup. That's not in the rules.

'It's only taken eight days but, at last, paths are emerging.

'There's a summer house going up and,

'to give them a fighting chance of finishing,

'there's more muscle in the garden.'

So, you've got a proper little army out here today, haven't you?

Oh, yeah. Yes, it's going wonderfully well.

'Which is just as well because there's hot tarmac

'destined to arrive in a matter of hours.

'Around the front, the step that prevented Matthew

'from getting into his home has disappeared

'to be replaced with a lovely, sloping driveway.'

Look at the speed that's gone up, look at it. That beautiful thing.

'And our crane is back.

'Because, alas, it is time to bid a fond farewell to our digger.'

They questioned, the other members of my team...

-Yeah, I remember.

-..why we needed that digger.

-And it's been flat-out in here for, what, five days?

-Easily, yeah.

That's why we needed it.

Look at what we've created, look.

Haven't got a clue, have they, my lot?

Bye! Give it a wave.

'Quite emotional that, wasn't it?

'When you're doing a six-month build in nine days,

'you have to accept you'll have a site inspection -

'285 pupils from Matthew's school.'

Are you going to get the building finished in time.

Ate we going to get the build finished in time?

-ALL SHOUT:

-Yeah.

And they've brought gifts.

-I love cake!

-I love cake, too!

LAUGHTER

I want to say a really big thankyou for building this house for him.

-CHILDREN:

-Thank you!

'When Matthew became so ill he couldn't leave hospital,

'these guys and his friends didn't give up hope.

'During his surgery, illness and cancer treatment,

'Lee and Sue lived in the hospital with him.

'But the year-and-a-half away from home must have taken its toll.'

'Nobody wants their child to go through what he's been through,

'and to fight as hard as he has.

'If I could have swapped places with him,

'I would have done it in a heartbeat. I really would.'

Has it been tough for you and Lee to hang on together, through this?

There wasn't a day when I didn't wish he wasn't there.

That's amazing, given the circumstances and the stresses.

It is when you consider that you're sitting in one room,

24 hours a day, seven days a week.

We've lived in a cubicle.

Just a square, for 17 months, in hospital.

Are you getting slightly agoraphobic coming out into the wide world?

-It's terrifying.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-To be honest, I'm scared to death.

-Are you, of what?

-Everything.

I am, I'm just petrified.

I'm not taking Matt as he was home. That's my fear.

Because Matt's so different...

-Yeah.

-..to what he was.

It's impossible to imagine, as a parent,

having to go through that process.

Just show me the buzzers. Which one you're going to have as "no"

-and which you're going to have as...

-For no, that.

-BUZZER HOOTS

-Yeah. Perfect.

If I could have anything, it would be for him to talk.

Because I miss him so much.

And I don't know what he's thinking.

But his brain's got to rewire.

The next 12 months are the most important,

to get as much back as we can.

-So we have to build a house for you where that's a possibility.

-Mm.

The marvellous thing is we can and we will.

'It's our last day on the build.'

Clear all that from the side of that.

'Which is quite a scary prospect.'

We're up against time now, so it's got to be done.

'Yes, it requires synergy and energy and togetherness

'to get over the line.'

I'm having a lovely time. I feel like I'm at the seaside!

I'm pretending this is sand and I'm making a sandcastle.

'That's lovely, Bill!'

Boys, boys, don't go away. I want you to do something.

'Elsewhere it's not so calm.'

At the end of the day, I promised Gabi she can have the house

by about 12 o'clock. And it's great.

Except for one thing.

It's not quite ready.

'Inside, there's a bit of furniture starting to come in

'and that's because today is the day design takes over

'and we can stand back and say how lovely it is.

'There's four bedrooms now in the house,

'including Mum and Dad's master bedroom.

'Is that a hessian sack on the wall?

'No, nobody puts sack on a wall!'

-How is it to work with?

-Terrible. Thick.

I've gone through that many blades. You have to put some pressure on it.

-Not happy.

-'You don't say.'

'Around the back, the garden team

'are also feeling the pinch of the last day.'

This is going to change dramatically anyway when all the black stuff

is covered over with the resin pea gravel, isn't it?

Yeah. It needs to be bright and cheerful and happy

and a nice place to be.

'Yes, the green team are still making up

'for the two days they lost to rain.

'The topsoil, painting, planting and that resin pathway

'will need pouring and time to set, so they are up against it.

'Inside the house...'

No, we want them all lovely.

'..it should be the decorators' turn to buzz around,

'but there's also electricians, carpenters

'and the hoist guys are back.

'All in all, we're still putting it together.

'And finally, I've waited nine days to help out,

'as Gabi looks stressed.'

-How can I assist?

-Everything apparently is fine

but I just was in a... "Oh, my God, Gabs, we're going to have to move

"the bath and the loo and everything's wrong."

Nothing to be tense about. It's all going to work out in the end.

There's a lot of love. A lot of love in the building.

Enjoy the roses. Listen to the dolphins.

THEY IMITATE DOLPHINS SQUEAKING

I prefer you all when you're being horrible.

Look, I'm going to go back to my Post-it notes of doom.

-That's a negative idea, isn't it?

-Not really.

Gabi's a lot more better-looking than you.

Thank you, darling. See, that's proper problem-solving, isn't it?

NICK MUMBLES

SOUND OF TAPE RIPPING Oh!

'There are still a few problems to solve, some tweaking

'and a number of cushions to cuddle. Don't worry, they'll get it right.'

What a team. What an absolutely amazing team.

Just nine days ago, we arrived to find a family

who couldn't live in their own home,

trying to make the best of a cruel situation.

At ten years old, the life-saving operation

to remove a cancerous brain tumour saved Matthew

but left him trapped in hospital on a ventilator,

robbed of independent movement and with no speech.

I just said, "Don't leave me."

And a tear came down from his eye, and he's heard me.

The family were forced to live in hospital for 17 months

as their own home was no longer fit for his needs.

Lee and Sue don't like asking for help

but their amazing community rallied round and raised money.

But it wasn't enough to build them the house they needed.

So, they called us.

And we called these guys.

Just look at what this phenomenally generous community have built.

At the front, the step that prevented the family

from entering their own home has gone.

Inside, gone is the small, inaccessible kitchen.

The new kitchen-cum-dining room is serene, spacious

and, most important of all, accessible for Matthew.

The living room, complete with hoists and modular furniture,

means this family can finally relax together.

Over into the colossal extension is Matthew's wet room

and Gabi has done us proud.

Heavily influenced by his love of Doctor Who,

the medical facilities, like hoists and specialist bath, sit discreetly

without feeling like this is a hospital.

Oh, and his bedroom.

There is no mistaking the TARDIS and more Doctor Who elements.

This bedroom has been pieced together carefully,

a highly specialist bed and alarm systems

mean Matthew has everything he needs around him

to keep him safe day and night.

And we've built an extra room downstairs

for friends and carers to stay over.

Upstairs, the work has continued.

Gabi has made sure there's an office room for medical equipment

and drugs to be stored neatly away.

And, as if that wasn't enough,

we've completely refurbished the family bathroom.

And there's another spare room for family or friends.

And, finally, Lee and Sue's bedroom.

And I have to admit, that wallpaper is stunning.

But the real beauty is the integrated alarm

and intercom systems so Sue can finally get some rest

and she has contact with Matthew's room at all times.

And that's not all. The garden was completely wheelchair unfriendly,

with steps and obstacles,

meaning Matthew would never have been able to come outside.

But now...

Oh, it's transformed.

Folding doors open out onto the patio area.

Raised beds hold sweet-smelling flowers

and wide, smooth paths lead down to a summer house.

For 18 months, this family have been living on a knife edge,

unable to come home.

But we, the SOS team,

and the amazing community who have helped us build this,

now hope they have a real chance at a new start.

Open your eyes.

Oh, wow!

-Is this our house?

-LEE LAUGHS

Oh, my goodness.

It's so big.

Isn't it?

It's like something off a movie.

THEY LAUGH

Well, space was the key thing.

We had to give you as much open space as possible.

It's amazing.

Your house used to stop there.

Did it?

THEY LAUGH

It did.

I don't know how you've done it.

I honestly don't know how you've done it.

Well, truly, with the help of some amazing people.

Take a stroll around your kitchen.

Masses of storage. THEY GASP

Then, this side is all like a breakfast bar.

Matthew can get his chair underneath there.

It's lower level so that he can work down here.

Just so much to take in, isn't there?

So, this was the end of the house.

Surely not!

Have a seat.

I want to take you through a few bits and pieces in here as well.

What we can do here is create a whole day-bed

that the three of you can actually lay down on, sit together,

cuddle up with.

I just can't believe it.

Hoists.

Oh, yeah. I never noticed that.

The important thing being, obviously,

to get him out of the wheelchair and sit him down with you.

You'll notice the floor is flat throughout.

By the way, that flat floor goes all the way out the front.

-Incredible.

-HE LAUGHS

-It is, it's amazing.

-I just can't...comprehend it.

It's quite a change, isn't it?

Would you like to come and see your son's new room?

Yeah.

-Oh!

-Oh, wow.

Oof!

-It's a TARDIS.

-SHE GASPS

He's going to love this.

How have you done it?

Peter Capaldi.

It's nice to get the real Doctor Who to send a message to him.

It's just amazing.

It's kind of cool, isn't it?

All the extra plug sockets for all the extra equipment you need around.

The panic button is over on the right there.

A little finishing touch for the end of the evening, by the way.

In the evening, you can actually get a light-up little police box.

Oh, wow.

What else did you need?

A wet room.

You can see there's a hoist track

-that leads to the door of the TARDIS.

-Yep.

Step in, please.

-Wow!

-Thank you so much.

Bath is obviously very important.

But to make things a little bit easier, the whole bath raises.

-It's amazing.

-There is a hoist system here

so, basically, you go all the way through.

In actual fact, as his rehabilitation goes along,

he'll start to be able to start to take control of that himself.

I just want him to be happy and have a bit of dignity.

Come on, I want to show you some of the upstairs bits.

Oh, wow!

Isn't it bright?

Oh, my God.

A totally different layout to what we had, isn't it?

I couldn't have imagined it would be like this.

-A beautiful room.

-Done yourself proud. Really proud.

It's just a hideaway, isn't it?

There is a telephone by your bed there. That's an intercom

so the carers can talk to you.

You can actually just step away for five minutes and get some sleep.

-Yeah, that's...

-Just relax.

-Because you haven't been able to for a long time.

-No.

Yeah.

SHE SNIFFS AND SIGHS HEAVILY

-Are you all right?

-Yes. It's just seeing him there.

SHE SNIFFS

-He'd say this'd be his room.

-Yeah, that's very true.

Come through.

We know that there's a massive amount of medical equipment

and storage that you needed. So what we've done is

we've put huge amounts of storage into the house,

so you can stock the place up.

-Oh, there's pictures of him everywhere.

-Yeah.

So, we've shown you around the whole house now. What do you think?

I think it's absolutely amazing

what you have actually done in nine days.

This is a massive, massive change.

But it's been too long since we've been home

and been able to get him home.

And he's wanted to come home for so long.

-And he's on his way.

-He's on his way.

You've brought him home.

So, yeah, it's a new start...

for all of us.

Right, let's go get him, shall we?

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

After a year and a half living in a hospital ward,

this is what the last nine days have all been about,

bringing Matthew home.

APPLAUSE

Right.

-Morning.

-Yes, good morning, Matthew.

Now, listen, we're going to show you your new house.

-OK?

-Looking forward to it?

Are you ready to come home?

Are you ready?

Let's go.

Do you like it?

I think I'm going to cover your eyes.

-Right. Now...

-Take it off.

Look at your bedroom.

Your bedroom is the TARDIS.

Do you like it?

-Yeah.

-Five? Wow!

-Five.

-Well done.

-You wait till you see this.

-Here we go, Matthew. Look.

You've got a bath.

How cool is your bathroom?

Five? Wow.

That's amazing, isn't it?

You're not going to want to come out of your bedroom, are you?

-Yeah, you will. Yeah, you will.

-Wow.

Matthew, your best friends are outside.

Would you like them to see it?

Wow!

Wow. Incredible.

There's something that's of particular importance and interest.

Have you spotted it already?

-The painting on the wall.

-The painting.

-Who is it of?

-Us.

-All of us.

So, this is by the official Doctor Who cartoonist.

-That's amazing.

-Yeah.

Lots of changes, obviously, with your house.

It's not like it used to be. Do you still like it?

I have got one more thing to show you, I forgot.

Everybody ready? Come on, let's go.

What do you think of that, Matthew?

Oh, it's fantastic.

There you go.

It is a piece of heaven.

Honestly, it is a piece of heaven.

A little summer room at the end there

so Matt and his mates can go in there as well,

they can get themselves away if they need to.

How could you turn what we had into this?

Well, it's with an enormous amount of love

and work from your community.

The whole community have supported us, you know,

and it's just been phenomenal.

Have you thought what you're going to say

-to all the people that are...?

-Yeah, I've got it written down.

Have you written something down, have you?

I mean, we want to say thank you, but how do you say thank you?

-For all of this.

-You tell them what a difference it will make.

Come on.

Well done, guys!

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Oh, my God!

You've done an amazing thing for us as a family

and you've done a really amazing thing for just one little lad,

our son, Matthew. Thank you.

I just want to try and say how overwhelming this community has been

with its help and support in getting us as a family back home.

Words can't say how grateful we are, because we really are,

for this amazing home.

It is going to make life so much easier for us.

Matthew can't say it himself yet...

..but, to everyone,

thank you so much for bringing us home.

APPLAUSE

When we come to do a DIY SOS, we bring a little ball of gravity

which draws the community in to help a family that are in need.

Now, interestingly, this community had already come together

and raised over £50,000.

That means the family have it to go forward for occupational therapy,

electronic gizmos, whatever this young man needs,

and who knows how far he can now get?

That's how community works.