0:00:02 > 0:00:04Mum of four Amanda Worne is an incredible force of nature.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Were you dropped in a bucket of caffeine when you were a baby?
0:00:09 > 0:00:12My mum's very, very loud, really, really outgoing, super bubbly.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Being a mum is my life, it's everything to me.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17It's what I was put on the earth for.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21But this mum's been left paralysed from the waist down after a horrific
0:00:21 > 0:00:23bike smash almost killed her.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27It was just like a fact - Mandy, you're never going to walk again.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31With an unbreakable spirit, she's grabbing life with both hands...
0:00:32 > 0:00:34That's a good boy, come on.
0:00:34 > 0:00:39..but she's struggling in a house that's risking her health.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41It's awful that she can't do anything.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Because the wheel, if it moves by a millimetre,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45she'll fall down those stairs.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49However, nothing compares to losing her role as a mum.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51It's just sad that your mum can't really
0:00:51 > 0:00:53kiss you good night or something.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55There's no pain that compares to it.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57To put this family back together,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00we'll need the support of a whole community...
0:01:00 > 0:01:02It's about fixing something the hospital can't fix.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04..but most of all, it's about giving this family
0:01:04 > 0:01:07the one thing they really need.
0:01:07 > 0:01:08Thank you so much.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10She can be a mum again.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13All the usual suspects are here.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15We have just nine days to carry out the job
0:01:15 > 0:01:19and our designer this week is the wonderful Sophie Robinson.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Where are we going to find an army?
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Well, they're already here because this is DIY SOS - The Big Build!
0:01:24 > 0:01:27CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Amanda Worne and her family live in Sussex
0:01:38 > 0:01:41and she counts herself as very fortunate.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43My children are my heroes.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45It's down to them that I get up in the morning.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47- Thanks, Mum.- Cheers.- No, you are.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50I've got four of them, aren't I lucky? All of them as well.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52No, I'm such a lucky lady.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58She and builder Vic have four teenagers -
0:01:58 > 0:02:03Megan, Jacob, Amelia and Joe.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05And being a mum is at the centre of Amanda's world.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11They're my life my children, absolute life.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Hook, line and sinker - my babies.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Amazing mum. Her whole life revolves around the family.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Just a great mum, great wife, great person all round.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23Despite the size of the family,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26the couple have lived in the same modest terrace house
0:02:26 > 0:02:28since they married 19 years ago.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32I've never had no reason to move, you know?
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Every time Mandy had another baby,
0:02:34 > 0:02:36I just put another room on the house.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38There's no more space to put any more bedrooms,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40so we had to stop there.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45Life was pretty good, but one summer's day in 2015,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48fitness fanatic Amanda went for a training ride on her bike
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and her world came crashing down.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54I got to the top of a notoriously steep hill,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56I thought to myself how lucky my life was,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58that was the fitness and strongest I'd ever been.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Little did I know that that would be the last time
0:03:00 > 0:03:04I'd ever stand because, as I started the assent down the hill,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07I realised that my brakes weren't working on my bike.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13I could see a load of bushes on the other side of the road and I felt it
0:03:13 > 0:03:15would soften my landing.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Unbeknown to me, there was a sign, it was double posted.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22I took full impact
0:03:22 > 0:03:27and I could feel like a warm fluid going up my legs
0:03:27 > 0:03:29and then there was a sudden realisation
0:03:29 > 0:03:31that it was actual paralysis.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35It crept right up to about my waist and at that point I just knew.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36It was just like a fact -
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Mandy, you're never going to walk again
0:03:38 > 0:03:41and I was just thought, "You silly, silly girl."
0:03:41 > 0:03:45Amanda was lying alone with a broken back, collar bone,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48seven smashed ribs and a punctured lung.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51I can hardly breathe, I can't move, I've got no phone,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53I'm in the middle of bushes,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55no-one knows I'm here and at that point in time
0:03:55 > 0:03:57I actually thought my life was possibly over.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59I thought I could die.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03But as I shut my eyes these four faces popped into my head,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05of course, my children.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07I was thinking, "You can't die." And I thought,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09"Right, I'm going to get out of this. I'm not going to die,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11"I'm going to get out of this situation
0:04:11 > 0:04:13"and I'm going to get help."
0:04:13 > 0:04:14After an hour lying in the ditch,
0:04:14 > 0:04:19a passing cyclist heard Amanda's cries and she was taken to hospital.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Doctors confirmed what she already knew.
0:04:22 > 0:04:23I'm not going to walk again.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25I said, "Please, don't look so sad."
0:04:25 > 0:04:27I said, "I'm alive." I said, "Do you know what it felt like
0:04:27 > 0:04:30"lying in those bushes for an hour thinking you're going to die?"
0:04:30 > 0:04:33I could still use my arms, I could still cuddle Vic,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35I could hold his hand.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37They were the big things that meant so much to me,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39rather than the fact of what I'd lost.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Amanda was determined to focus on the positive,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45but it was a shock for the family.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Life was perfect and to have it flip upside down
0:04:49 > 0:04:51so quickly is, like, really...
0:04:51 > 0:04:54To get your head around, it's really, really hard.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57She told us that she won't ever walk again and I remember saying...
0:04:57 > 0:04:58I remember telling her that I wished it was me
0:04:58 > 0:05:01and, like, crying and everything.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07Seeing their faces when they came in, so serious and grave and,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10you know, I had to keep trying to reassure them, "I'm fine, I'm fine."
0:05:10 > 0:05:12And that's really hard. I did feel a lot of guilt.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15To see your own mother in a state like that, it's...
0:05:16 > 0:05:17But she just smiles.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19It's like...
0:05:19 > 0:05:23I couldn't believe how she handled everything.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25When you see her cope with it so well...
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Like, she carried the whole family.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30That's literally the only way to describe her.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Amanda spent six months in rehab at Stoke Mandeville while Vic looked
0:05:34 > 0:05:37after the kids and worked full-time.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39I get up a couple of hours before I need to go to work,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43so I can get some housework done, washing etc.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Then obviously go to work and then come home and help out with whatever
0:05:46 > 0:05:49needs to be helped out, dinner, tidying, hovering, you know,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51look after the kids here at home.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Yes, Vic stepped up,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56but when Amanda left hospital it wasn't the happy ending
0:05:56 > 0:05:58that they were all hoping for.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01We thought she'd come home and it'd be fine,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04we wouldn't need any adaptations or anything,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08but she needs a lot more than what we thought.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11She needs help pretty much all the time.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Like just going to the bathroom, she needs someone to help her.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15Good boy.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Vic did what he could,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21putting in a ramp and buying and installing a second-hand stairlift,
0:06:21 > 0:06:25but it's not meant for disabled users and is dangerous.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29My legs have once spasmed on the way down and got caught in a banister,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31so I could have ended up breaking a leg.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32That was horrible.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Amanda risks burning herself in the kitchen,
0:06:35 > 0:06:40she can't wash by herself and has to use the toilet with the door open.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44The biggest heartache for Amanda though is losing her role as a mum.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Being a mum was the one thing in my life that I'd wanted to do,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50I'd had these four beautiful children
0:06:50 > 0:06:53and my dream was just to be able to bring them up.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57But now her kids have become carers to her.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00I do appreciate everything you do for me,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02but I would rather that we could turn it round
0:07:02 > 0:07:05so that I could do it all for you again,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09and that you can have your mum back, even if she can't walk,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11but you can have me back in every other capacity.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13We need to make that happen.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17What will make your life better?
0:07:17 > 0:07:23A house where I can function and be a role of the mother to my children
0:07:23 > 0:07:25and actually do things that I normally
0:07:25 > 0:07:27would be able to do for myself,
0:07:27 > 0:07:29but this house has been so restrictive for me.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32- What do you miss?- What do I miss? I miss being able to cook.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35I couldn't, with the old oven that I had,
0:07:35 > 0:07:36use it because it was so dangerous.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38I don't mean to be rude by asking,
0:07:38 > 0:07:39but it's important if you're cooking,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42- where you could possibly spill burning hot things on you...- Yes.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44..do you have much feeling in the leg area at all?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46- I think it's more dangerous because I don't.- Precisely.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48So I could have hot fat on my legs and not know.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50A couple of times I'd go to bed and I'd have blisters.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Would it make a big difference to life in the house
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- if we can get things sorted out for you?- Yeah, absolutely.
0:07:55 > 0:07:56Obviously, yeah, we'll get through it,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58- but it's just a bit tough at times. - Tough.- Tough.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02I felt so guilty that I had the accident and what I've caused,
0:08:02 > 0:08:07and I feel frustrated because I can't do anything to make it better.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09We know some people who might be able to make it better.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Would you like to meet the guys outside and say hello to them?
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Yes, say hello to them all. Yeah, go out and say hello.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:08:19 > 0:08:21I can't believe how many people are here.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23I'm just completely blown away
0:08:23 > 0:08:25because since I've had my accident I feel
0:08:25 > 0:08:28I've had the role of mum stolen away from me and my children have
0:08:28 > 0:08:31had to grow up so quick. So you're giving that back to me.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33- I can't thank you enough. Thank you very much.- No.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36It's lovely to see you all here and I just hope you have a nice time
0:08:36 > 0:08:39doing it because we're going to have the rest of our lives here to enjoy
0:08:39 > 0:08:40your work, as a mum!
0:08:40 > 0:08:43- Thank you.- Thank you. Thank you very much.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Well, there's no better motivation than that, is there?
0:08:47 > 0:08:48To give us a fighting chance,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51we've already knocked down the old conservatory
0:08:51 > 0:08:53ready for a replacement extension.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58So now we can flood the site with local trades.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01This house is small and we can't build out much further
0:09:01 > 0:09:05than the current floor plan. So to make it work for Amanda,
0:09:05 > 0:09:07we're going to have to completely change the layout.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12You come in here, you give me 20 minutes or up to one hour
0:09:12 > 0:09:14and we've got the house completely stripped. It's mad.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Unfortunately, it takes a little bit longer to put together again.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20We've got some demolition demons on this job.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Someone squashed the shed, who was that?- That was Donk.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25- Donk?- I've got a Donk.- Right.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- Is that because he's a bit of a unit?- He took that...
0:09:28 > 0:09:31I didn't have to grind that stuff out, he just pulled it out.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Half a shed.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35HE LAUGHS
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Yep, definitely a young man's game this.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41How old are you now? HE CLEARS HIS THROAT
0:09:41 > 0:09:43He's 20 years younger than me and I'm...
0:09:43 > 0:09:45HE CLEARS HIS THROAT
0:09:45 > 0:09:46120, Billy?
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Anything else you noticed as you got older?
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Yeah.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Yeah, yeah, there is a few things.
0:09:53 > 0:09:54Want to share any of them?
0:09:54 > 0:09:59- Because otherwise it's a really dull question.- Hmm...
0:10:01 > 0:10:02What's the question?
0:10:02 > 0:10:04What was the question?
0:10:04 > 0:10:06I can't remember. I literally cannot remember,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09- that's how dull the answer was. - Yeah. Hmm.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12So you don't get any more exciting as you get older, do you?
0:10:12 > 0:10:15HE LAUGHS
0:10:16 > 0:10:19You can see all the way through the house now, which is nice, isn't it?
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Now that we've taken a couple of walls out.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Come and have a look, let me show you the bathroom. There you go.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Now it's open plan.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Well, the stair lift's going straight to the skip
0:10:29 > 0:10:32and Jules has a long journey ahead.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34I'm going out to the back garden,
0:10:34 > 0:10:39but it's about three miles away because I've got to go up the road,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43around the streets, out onto the main road,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45a load of other main roads and come around the back.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48So it's probably going to take me about an hour and a half.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50So I'll see you shortly.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55Through the magic of TV,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59we can get straight to the back and see the extension arriving.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Two walls up already, we've been, like, an hour on it.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05- So how long do you reckon? - What, until finished?
0:11:05 > 0:11:08- Yeah.- A couple of hours.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Jules might have made it to the back garden by then.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Our progress upstairs has slowed to snail's pace, too.
0:11:19 > 0:11:20We've uncovered this steel.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23It was put in by Vic when he converted the loft,
0:11:23 > 0:11:25but with the new layout, we'll need to move it.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27You'd think we could just cut it out and get going,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29but this holds everything up. If we take this out,
0:11:29 > 0:11:33the converted loft falls into this room's floor
0:11:33 > 0:11:34which falls into the floor below.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37We'll need a detailed and complicated plan to move it.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42Are we doing all this just to get rid of that post into this wall?
0:11:42 > 0:11:44- Basically. - So what he's done is perfect.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Oh, what he's done is perfect, but it doesn't suit the new design.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49The designer wanted a bigger landing.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52So we're not doing this because we actually need it for space for the
0:11:52 > 0:11:53- lift or anything else?- No, no.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56- We're doing it because the designer wants a bigger landing?- Yeah.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01And the thorn in our side designing this home is Sophie Robinson,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03bringing a burst of colour.
0:12:03 > 0:12:04And I mean a lot of colour,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07like hurt-your-eyes kind of colour, so much colour.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Look at you, the bottom half of you disappears into that wall
0:12:10 > 0:12:12and the top half of you disappears into that wall.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- Yeah, yeah, perfect. - You've dressed colour appropriately.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17I'm channelling, yeah, Amanda's love of colour.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19They're primary colours you wear.
0:12:19 > 0:12:20Yeah, yeah, they're good, aren't they?
0:12:20 > 0:12:23We wear black on this site. This is what we do, we wear black.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25- Yeah, you won't catch me in black. - Not going to happen?
0:12:25 > 0:12:26- Not going to happen.- OK.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Sophie's plan for this house is all about giving Amanda access
0:12:29 > 0:12:32to as much of it as possible.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34The kitchen will have a rise-and-fall worktop
0:12:34 > 0:12:37so Amanda can get back to the cooking she loves.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39The living room will be extended to give the family
0:12:39 > 0:12:43somewhere wheelchair-friendly to be together.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46There'll be a dining area and cosy sofa,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49all leading to the new garden.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51We're putting in a proper lift so Amanda can
0:12:51 > 0:12:54easily and safely get upstairs, where she'll have a new wet room,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58a luxurious bedroom for her and Vic and she'll be able to get to her
0:12:58 > 0:13:00younger kids bedrooms to kiss them good night
0:13:00 > 0:13:02and we'll decorate the loft rooms,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04but right now it's an empty shell.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07I understand the reason that we're having to do all this upstairs is
0:13:07 > 0:13:10because you want this post moved from here to there.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Yeah, because the lift is going here and for Amanda to be able to get out
0:13:14 > 0:13:16of the lift and move freely around and access all the rooms,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18she doesn't want to be going around that.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20OK, we thought it was style thing the bigger landing,
0:13:20 > 0:13:24- but you're say it's a turning circle?- Totally, to give her access to all the rooms.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26The most challenging part of this whole project,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29from a design point of view, is how are we going to get everything in
0:13:29 > 0:13:31and give everybody the space that they need?
0:13:31 > 0:13:34In such a tight space, have we got room for those earrings?
0:13:35 > 0:13:37She's up for a laugh, our Sophie,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40and with those earrings on who can blame her?
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Oh, look, steel's coming in.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Meanwhile, after an epic quest across the land,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49being overtaken by small children on scooters,
0:13:49 > 0:13:54our Devon friend has made it the realm of the back garden.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56HORN BEEPS
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Flies in my teeth. I had to put my glasses on,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03I was getting all the flies in my eyes.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Such high-speed.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07That was good fun, though. I enjoyed that.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12And now he's in his natural environment, digging a hole.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15No-one has any idea why.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Meanwhile upstairs, Chris the steel man
0:14:17 > 0:14:20is about to make our design structurally sound.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24This huge support steel needs to run the width of the ceiling
0:14:24 > 0:14:26on the first floor.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Interesting steel system going in.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Yeah. Cut this column out, new steel in, new column in.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37- Then away we go.- When are we thinking of putting those steels in?
0:14:37 > 0:14:39As soon as you're ready.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Well, it needs to be ASAP, as everything's being built round it.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46But with this lot of grafters on site, it shouldn't be long.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49One of our hard-working volunteers has a very special connection
0:14:49 > 0:14:53to Amanda. It was Gary who found her by the road after her accident.
0:14:53 > 0:14:59I was on a regular Sunday ride and I was grinding my way up Berryhill
0:14:59 > 0:15:01and just heard voices from the undergrowth, basically,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03cries for help. I went poking around in the undergrowth
0:15:03 > 0:15:06- and there she was. - Have you got any medical training?
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Yeah, I have. I did seven or eight years in the coastguard.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11- Well, there you go. - So I've done a bit from that.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14She was the most beaten up person I have ever come across
0:15:14 > 0:15:17that was still alive. She knew exactly what was going on.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20I didn't tell her, because I didn't know how she would react.
0:15:20 > 0:15:21But she could only actually move one arm.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24It was very apparent that she'd a broken collarbone
0:15:24 > 0:15:27and she had no feeling in her legs, so she couldn't move at all.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29You've since become friends with her, haven't you?
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- Yeah, we're great friends. - So what sort of person is she?
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Because we obviously get to meet a snapshot of her in her life now.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40- Yeah.- But she seems unbelievably positive and strong-willed.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43She is. She's a very strong person in many ways
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and she's dealt with it incredibly well.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47So what's the future like, then,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51if we get the house sorted out for them and she gets some of that
0:15:51 > 0:15:53- independence back? - It will just transform her life.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Do you like what we've done with it so far?
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Yeah, it looks good!
0:15:59 > 0:16:03We're laughing, because it's such a mess but things are happening.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05There's drainage for the new wet room
0:16:05 > 0:16:07and electrics are in the capable hands
0:16:07 > 0:16:09of our little prince of darkness,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12whose great trick is to hand on responsibility.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15This is Calum. He's going to be signing everything...
0:16:15 > 0:16:16My new best mate.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20He's going to be signing everything off, so this is our band of heroes.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23And what we're going to do, we're going to do a room, room, room,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26rather than spread us all over the place.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Hopefully, that's the way they've organised it
0:16:28 > 0:16:29and that's the way we'll do it.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33Yeah, but that might not actually happen, Billy.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Hold on, stop drilling a minute!
0:16:36 > 0:16:38One second, everybody.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40I need the electricians and the plumbers
0:16:40 > 0:16:43and the joiners out the front for five minutes.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46We've got a change on the inside of the building.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49It's become apparent whilst putting the big steel in upstairs,
0:16:49 > 0:16:51that if we put it where we've got it at the moment,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53we can't fit in the lift.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55So something has to change.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57So basically, the lift has got a ceiling and a floor on,
0:16:57 > 0:17:03so as that goes up, that's going to strike the steel in the top ceiling.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04The biggest issue with this build
0:17:04 > 0:17:07has been getting this lift in this house.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10It's been so hard and now we've just found out that the steels are
0:17:10 > 0:17:12going to encroach into the lift shaft
0:17:12 > 0:17:15and the lift won't be able to hit the ceiling.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17It looks like we're going to have to do the unthinkable,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20change the whole layout to move the lift.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23So we need to do something with that WC, but that lift needs to move.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26This means changing the electrics, plumbing, everything.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30This could put us massively behind.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32So we're proposing to put the lift where the WC upstairs is.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Yeah.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36But the biggest effect of changing the design
0:17:36 > 0:17:40is Amanda might end up with less usable space for her wheelchair.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Yeah, you lose something upstairs, don't you?
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Which means there's no storage in Amanda and Vic's bedroom.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49In the end, we can't compromise the structure of the house.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Our only option is to keep the layout as it is,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54but raise the new steel into the ceiling
0:17:54 > 0:17:57above the reach of the lift shaft, but that means our steel man
0:17:57 > 0:18:01needs to find a longer upright support.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04- That post, can that be extended? - I'll go and have a measure...- OK.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06..see what I've got and I'll come back to you.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09- OK.- Yeah.- The weight of this whole building is resting
0:18:09 > 0:18:11on his shoulders and his steels.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18Dealing with unexpected difficulties is something Amanda knows all about.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Since she became paralysed,
0:18:20 > 0:18:22she visits schools to help inspire kids
0:18:22 > 0:18:25to overcome problems in their lives.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31This is me doing my first race and I'm going to do London Marathon
0:18:31 > 0:18:33next year as well. I'm very, very lucky.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36We want to look back at 90 and think, "I'm really glad I did that.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38"I did all of those things."
0:18:39 > 0:18:42But it's not always rosy for Amanda and her family.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43Because of the house,
0:18:43 > 0:18:48sons Joe and Jacob have had to take on roles way beyond their years.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51She's been kind of amazing about it.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55It's kind of almost harder for you lot to get your heads around what's
0:18:55 > 0:18:58- going on, I'd have thought. - It was a little bit shocking.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00My life was really good at the time,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02I really enjoyed life and then till then,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05- it kind of hit a dead end. - Is that what it felt like?
0:19:05 > 0:19:07- A little bit.- Kind of things...
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Normal life had come to a stop?
0:19:09 > 0:19:13- Yeah.- Your mum says that you've done...
0:19:13 > 0:19:15You've kind of all turned into carers a little bit for her.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Yeah, I mean, there's times when I've walked down the stairs
0:19:18 > 0:19:21and she's lying on the floor where she's fallen out her wheelchair.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Obviously, she can't do anything, so I've got to go over and pick her up.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27There's times in the mornings when we've got to help her.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30With dinner, she can't put stuff in the oven or take stuff out the
0:19:30 > 0:19:32oven, so we're always on call to just help her.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Yeah, it's like you can't really be a kid any more.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40You have to really step up and, like, grow up and just take it.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42It must be so hard for her to have all the responsibility and all the
0:19:42 > 0:19:45independence just stripped from her overnight.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47I think that's what she finds the most,
0:19:47 > 0:19:52that she's a 45-year-old woman and she can't look after herself.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55But she does have her bad days, like everyone does,
0:19:55 > 0:19:59and she tries to hide it and she tries to stay as
0:19:59 > 0:20:02strong as she can, but everyone must know deep down, like,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04living without your legs must be so difficult.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09So how proud are you of the way she's dealt with
0:20:09 > 0:20:12what she's been dealt, if you know what I mean?
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Words can't describe it.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16I don't know how she's done it at all.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19And she makes us all so proud.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21We have a choice to make whether to actually improve, like,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25the areas for you guys or concentrate on getting
0:20:25 > 0:20:29the downstairs sorted for your mum, in terms of being able to move
0:20:29 > 0:20:32around the house and things. So what's the priority?
0:20:32 > 0:20:34- For mum.- Definitely.- Yeah.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36She really likes being independent and then sometimes,
0:20:36 > 0:20:38she says to me it's like living in a prison.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40It's like living inside a cage.
0:20:40 > 0:20:41Like, she wants to do stuff.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45She wants to cook. She wants to help us with stuff but she can't because
0:20:45 > 0:20:46it's not accessible.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50By doing the downstairs, you're sort of bringing our family life back,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52which has been missing for the past year.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53So that would be doing...
0:20:53 > 0:20:56That's better than anything anyone could ever give us,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59to restore normality, basically, is a dream.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02Great lads, eh?
0:21:02 > 0:21:05However, it's a dream that won't come true unless we can
0:21:05 > 0:21:08get the lift in without compromising the space for Amanda.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14The calculations are being made to see if the steel can be raised.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Tell me the plan. Tell me the plan of attack.
0:21:18 > 0:21:19- It fits.- It fits?
0:21:19 > 0:21:23- It fits.- Yes! Whoo!
0:21:23 > 0:21:26- Give him a round, lads. - CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:21:28 > 0:21:29Right, panic over.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Yeah, we're back in business.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34One, two, three, lift.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Not only are they really professional in what they're doing,
0:21:40 > 0:21:42but they really care for Amanda, because they met Amanda
0:21:42 > 0:21:46and the family and they just want to make it right for her.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48It's like a band of brothers, us lot,
0:21:48 > 0:21:50and then we get a bigger band of brothers wherever we go.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53And how amazing that we get the chance to do a job like
0:21:53 > 0:21:56this and at the end of it, a mum gets to be a mum again?
0:21:57 > 0:22:02It's not just Amanda that everyone's working so hard for.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Their situation they're in at the moment
0:22:04 > 0:22:07where the lady's in the wheelchair, I've had to care for my old man
0:22:07 > 0:22:09through a young age. I was very young and it ain't easy,
0:22:09 > 0:22:13do you know what I mean? Having been a carer, it's not.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15This, what we're doing now, is giving her freedom back.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17That's good enough for me to be here
0:22:17 > 0:22:21and give up my time if it's giving the kids in there back their mum,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23freedom and happiness.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Thank you, sir. And look what your time has done already...
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Big day upstairs. All new windows throughout.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35The big change is moving this little pole from here to here,
0:22:35 > 0:22:40so we've got a new steel in here and a new extension on here and we've
0:22:40 > 0:22:41made a start on the garden.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Look, there's even a roof on and it's waterproof.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46That's pretty impressive, isn't it?
0:22:46 > 0:22:48And that was just day one.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51It's now day two and a hive of activity on site.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55Everyone's trying to catch up after yesterday's delay, but it does mean
0:22:55 > 0:22:57some people can't get at the job.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02Wondering why I'm just poised outside?
0:23:02 > 0:23:05There's a little house and there's 15 chippies chippying,
0:23:05 > 0:23:0920 sparkies sparkying, ten plumbers plumbing.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11I can't physically get in there.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12So I'm just checking all my materials
0:23:12 > 0:23:15and getting a game plan in my head ready for tomorrow.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17When the door opens for plasterers,
0:23:17 > 0:23:18they'll fly in that little house.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21He's like a coiled spring and the walls are going up, Chris,
0:23:21 > 0:23:22so it won't be long.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25We're starting to see what this house might look like.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28To be able to adapt this house for Amanda's wheelchair use,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30has been so uber-challenging,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33and it has meant that the bedrooms have had to come down in size.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37For Joe, especially, this is his bedroom, but I think space aside,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40design aside, storage aside, you know,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43one of the most important things about this bedroom
0:23:43 > 0:23:45is that Amanda can actually get in here
0:23:45 > 0:23:47and tuck her little boy in at night,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50because it absolutely breaks my heart that since her accident,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52she hasn't been able to do that.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55We're giving Amanda at home but we're also giving her back
0:23:55 > 0:23:56the opportunity to be a mum.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59And that's just the best feeling ever.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02And one of the ways we're going to do that is by making
0:24:02 > 0:24:04the ground floor level throughout.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08Out the back, Jules's big hole turns out to be a soak away,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10that's what he's digging, which will capture any ground water,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12stopping flooding in the house.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15I'll just finished my breakfast and I'll come play diggers, too.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Nick's not very well. He's not going to be in for a bit.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20He's got that problem where his head's stuck to the pillow again?
0:24:20 > 0:24:23- I think so, yeah. - Or is it an ear wax problem?
0:24:23 > 0:24:26I'm here. A man's got to eat, you know?!
0:24:26 > 0:24:29- Right.- You've got it on your chin.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31- Have I?- Not that one, the other one.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35What is it with people insulting me today?
0:24:35 > 0:24:36Hang on...
0:24:36 > 0:24:38What are we going to do with the garden?
0:24:38 > 0:24:40We've got a lovely little plan for the garden.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42It's going to have flowers in it.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44It's going to have mud and it's going to have little bits of wall.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47You've done a lot of landscaping, haven't you?!
0:24:47 > 0:24:50It's going to have flowers and mud in it!
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Talking of landscaping....
0:24:52 > 0:24:55- What happened to the hole? - It's gone.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59- We like to show the viewer at home...- Yeah?
0:24:59 > 0:25:02- ..what goes on. - You were here late, right?
0:25:02 > 0:25:04You grabbed the camera.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06I hardly grabbed the camera, did I?
0:25:06 > 0:25:08- So therefore... - It gravitates towards me.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11I called the second camera operative.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16What were the pictures like? Were they any good?
0:25:17 > 0:25:18Yeah, actually, they're not bad.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21You can see the soak away.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Can you talk us through those...?
0:25:24 > 0:25:25That's where I keep all my tricks.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28I thought it was maybe in case you find yourself in an area where you
0:25:28 > 0:25:32needed to put out lots of candles quickly.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Have you ever been linked up to the circus at all at any point?
0:25:35 > 0:25:38- Where's your earrings today? - Oh, they're killing me, man!
0:25:38 > 0:25:40My ears are killing me.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43- I've got some great news. - Well, let us be the judge of that.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46- You can't just announce it. - You are going to love this.- Really?
0:25:46 > 0:25:47- You are going to so love this. - OK, go on.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50You know you wanted this leather apron for Amanda?
0:25:50 > 0:25:53For Amanda, so she can cook safely without a lot of fat dropping
0:25:53 > 0:25:55- on her legs, yeah. - Yeah, which is a really lovely idea.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- Can't find a local leather worker, that's the trouble.- Well...
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Oh, she's only found the creme de la creme
0:26:00 > 0:26:01of leather workers.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04- Hello.- Hello.- Hi. How are you doing?
0:26:04 > 0:26:06- Welcome.- Good to see you.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08We've got a fairly weird request.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11And we're delighted to help. We are able to do anything you wish.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13She's the designer, which basically means
0:26:13 > 0:26:15she wanders around going,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18- "Hello, flowers, hello, trees, hello, plants."- Plumping cushions.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20And I'm a practical kind of person with the team,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22so we want things to look elegant.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25I think that's why I'M here,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27is to throw a little bit on on both sides.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31- Really, you're here to mediate? - Yes.- Shall we take a look?
0:26:31 > 0:26:34- Come on in.- May the battle commence.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36I want to create something that feels feminine,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38that feels like a kitchen pinny, not like a big leather barbecue.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40So this could be pink.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42She's going to next ask for you to put frills on it.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Don't put frills on it.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Now that's elegant and brown.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51I just went to the loo and I blew my nose.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Not on this bit, on another but, obviously.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55But I thought, "What a lovely colour."
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Leave the design to us, big guy.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00In terms of the design, I'm bringing in lots of flowers,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02butterfly motifs, you know, all of that kind of stuff.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Well, I think at the moment, Nick's winning
0:27:04 > 0:27:06the battle of designs because...
0:27:06 > 0:27:12But I think Sophie's going to play a crafty one and when we go,
0:27:12 > 0:27:16she's going to stay behind and have her final say anyway.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21So I think anything that Nick says at this point is pretty pointless.
0:27:21 > 0:27:22Yeah, what does he know?
0:27:22 > 0:27:26I can tell by the look of their faces, I've got this.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Home, Jules, and don't spare the horses.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31HE LAUGHS
0:27:31 > 0:27:34And whilst we're in a Roller, back on site, Chris is on a roll...
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- Fandabbydosey! - ..with his boys chomping at the bit.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43I don't think I've ever seen so many plasterers in such a tight space.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45It's the way to do it, though, isn't it?
0:27:45 > 0:27:47- How many have you got here?- 16.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51And they're all happy and they're all bouncy and they're all joking.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54- Yeah.- That's the plasterer's way, isn't it?
0:27:54 > 0:27:56They're not a miserable bunch at all, are they?
0:27:56 > 0:28:00- No, no, no, no.- The whole house is feeling the love.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03We had a floor go down last night, which was rather nice.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06So it's all pretty much level throughout the house now,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08and this has got to be the level of the finished garden as well,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11which is where he's going and he's going.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13So let's take a look at the garden.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Nice mood board, I like that.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Look, can I put this mood board next to your moob board?
0:28:18 > 0:28:21THEY LAUGH
0:28:21 > 0:28:22So roof's done.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Lunchtime on day three.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26HE LAUGHS
0:28:26 > 0:28:29And with the roof done, it means the scaffold can come down.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Hang on, isn't that a record?
0:28:31 > 0:28:33This has got to be some kind of record, hasn't it?
0:28:33 > 0:28:35Absolutely. Like a broken one.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Day three and the scaffold's coming down.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40- At 11.35am.- It's got to be some sort of record, this, hasn't it?
0:28:40 > 0:28:43- Scaffold going down.- Day three and the scaffolding's coming down.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45- Is that a record?- Is that some sort of record, day three,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48- the scaffolding coming down?- You're brilliant. He's brilliant. See that?
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Did you know that's a record? 11.35.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52I think we've got round to the start again.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54I think it was you and me at the start.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02These heroes are working so hard because they know
0:29:02 > 0:29:04there's a family in need.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09Over the last 18 months, Vic's taken on the role of a full-time carer,
0:29:09 > 0:29:13not only for the kids, but also for Amanda.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16All of that whilst working full-time as a builder.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21I mean, to be fair, the big change in terms of your role...
0:29:21 > 0:29:24Yeah, like, when the accident did happen, you know,
0:29:24 > 0:29:26I could cook and I could use a dishwasher
0:29:26 > 0:29:28and the washing machine.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30So it didn't come quite as bad as what it could possibly have been.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32We've got through it, muddled through it.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34The kids have had to fend for themselves a bit more,
0:29:34 > 0:29:36- I would think.- It is a big change, though, mate.
0:29:36 > 0:29:37Oh, it is a big change, yeah.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40But I never thought I was going to run away from it.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Just take each day as it comes.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44On that basis, then, we've been thinking about
0:29:44 > 0:29:46doing this build for Mandy.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49- Yeah.- It seems to me that it's not necessarily just for Mandy.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52Well, no, because if Mandy can get back to doing what she wants to be,
0:29:52 > 0:29:55which is a mum, it takes the pressure off of everybody.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58It will give us all a bit of our life back, hopefully.
0:29:58 > 0:29:59Take the pressure off you a bit?
0:29:59 > 0:30:01Yeah, definitely 100% take the pressure off me.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Yeah, 100%.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05You work in the building trade. I do.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08Obviously, plainly, no matter how hard you tried,
0:30:08 > 0:30:10- you would not have been able to have got this done.- No.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13So what do you make of all these people,
0:30:13 > 0:30:16up to 100 people a day, to come and make this happen?
0:30:16 > 0:30:17Yeah, obviously, very grateful.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21It's amazing what they've done and to come there for nothing as well.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24- And they don't know you. - And they don't know me, no.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26That's absolutely amazing. It's amazing.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29It puts your faith back in humanity a little bit, doesn't it?
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Yep, it certainly does.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36What made you give up your time to come and do this for nothing?
0:30:36 > 0:30:38You've got to pass it forward where you can.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42If no-one gave anything, life would be horrible.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44All that pink stuff going on the walls
0:30:44 > 0:30:47means we've broken another record.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50I don't want to tempt fate, but this is the last bit
0:30:50 > 0:30:52of plastering they've got.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57It's the quickest we've ever plastered a house ever
0:30:57 > 0:30:59in the history of!
0:30:59 > 0:31:03And the floor fairies are in, which means with four days to go,
0:31:03 > 0:31:05we're in a really good place.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Quite interesting, this is day six of the build,
0:31:17 > 0:31:20because we always talk about it in numbers, but in the real world
0:31:20 > 0:31:24it's a Sunday and it's just as busy as any other day of the week.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26It doesn't actually ease up at all.
0:31:32 > 0:31:33- What's your name?- Paul.- Paul.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35What have you come along for, Paul?
0:31:35 > 0:31:38I have come because my son's school is at the bottom of the hill
0:31:38 > 0:31:41in Bury where that awful accident happened,
0:31:41 > 0:31:43so we heard about it and I thought I'd come along
0:31:43 > 0:31:46- and give you guys some ice cream. - Nicks' Licks.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48- No, I'm Nick.- I know you're Nick!
0:31:48 > 0:31:49- Are you Nick? - You're Nicks' Licks today.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52- That's very lovely. Thank you. Are you Nick?- I'm Paul.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55- So who's Nick?- You're Nick. - Oh, is this specifically for me?
0:31:55 > 0:31:57- I thought you were actually... - Just for you.
0:31:57 > 0:31:58Oh, mate! That's fantastic.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00I'm slow off the mark, I know,
0:32:00 > 0:32:02but you'd have brain freeze too if you're eating,
0:32:02 > 0:32:04if you were eating ice cream at eight in the morning.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07What's your one?
0:32:11 > 0:32:13- Is that one all right? - That's nice, that one.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16Oh, that Nick... Paul, makes a lovely ice cream.
0:32:16 > 0:32:17Hugs all around.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22If you had to describe that, how was it?
0:32:22 > 0:32:24It's like a cross between the biggest hug
0:32:24 > 0:32:27I've ever had off my smallest sausage dog
0:32:27 > 0:32:29and waking up next to my wife.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34We may look like we're just standing around having a laugh
0:32:34 > 0:32:36but we're making progress.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40The lift shaft is finished ready for the lift to arrive tomorrow.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44God, I hope it fits because it's quite complicated!
0:32:44 > 0:32:47Paint's going on the walls and we have the happiest decorator
0:32:47 > 0:32:50- in the world.- Oh, absolutely, mate.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52Always happy when I'm painting.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55- Happy, happy, happy! - See what I mean?
0:32:55 > 0:32:57It's not just whites in this house.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00The kids' loft rooms are getting a spruce-up.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02Meanwhile, on the first floor, it's a different story.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04Different story, see what I did there?!
0:33:04 > 0:33:06First floor... Right.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10This obviously you can't work out whether it's for a boy or a girl
0:33:10 > 0:33:13- because you've got blue walls and pink floors.- That's it.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15This is the master bed. This is for Vic and Amanda
0:33:15 > 0:33:17but isn't it a gorgeous colour? Really deep, relaxing.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20It'll look gorgeous in the evening. Really pleased with the colour.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22- No.- You don't like this colour?
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Oh, you're not going to like what's going on in here, then.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27- This isn't feeling good.- Is it going to be bright in here as well?
0:33:27 > 0:33:30I'm not going to win this one, am I?
0:33:30 > 0:33:33Sophie's brought Megan and Amelia to see local artist Sarah,
0:33:33 > 0:33:37who's been making something a bit colourful for Amanda.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40Well, I think this is a sort of integral part of my design,
0:33:40 > 0:33:42something, you know, handmade
0:33:42 > 0:33:44and Sarah's been working so hard on this,
0:33:44 > 0:33:46because this is a big piece of crochet, isn't it?
0:33:46 > 0:33:48- I mean, it is your speciality. - Yeah, it's a big project.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51So what can we do for beginners, cos I'm not that good at it, either.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53We thought we'd make some pom-poms.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57So your mum, with this incredible positive mental attitude,
0:33:57 > 0:34:00I'm guessing a lot of people who meet her probably actually
0:34:00 > 0:34:02can't fully appreciate what it's like for her.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04If you met her, you would never know the things
0:34:04 > 0:34:06she has to struggle with at home.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09She hardly ever moans about how much pain she's in and she's in a
0:34:09 > 0:34:11- lot of pain a lot of the time. - A lot of the time.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13But you just never know.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15So do you worry about her for things like that?
0:34:15 > 0:34:17- All the time.- Yeah.- Because she has good days and bad days,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20where her legs spasm a lot or they don't spasm as much
0:34:20 > 0:34:22or her back hurts, or it doesn't,
0:34:22 > 0:34:24and with the stairlift and stuff, if something happens,
0:34:24 > 0:34:25no-one's there to help her.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28So you're worried that she's on her own in the house,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31- knowing...- That something could happen and no-one's there for her.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34- That stairlift was a bit dodgy though, wasn't it?- So dodgy.
0:34:34 > 0:34:39So the house being redesigned, what's that going to give you, then?
0:34:39 > 0:34:40I suppose peace of mind.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44- It's going to give us our childhood back.- Oh!
0:34:44 > 0:34:46Can't answer better than that.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51- Wow, they're huge. - Oh, wow, they're big!
0:34:51 > 0:34:52They'd make super earrings.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55- Oh, my goodness!- Perfect.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58She literally couldn't help herself, could she?
0:35:00 > 0:35:04Back at the house, I'm about to stop Sophie's multicolour madness
0:35:04 > 0:35:06in its tracks.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10Look at that. That's our friends coming back with the pinafore.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13So I reckon they've done it in brown leather like I asked them to.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Oh, yeah, brown leather with a lion roaring.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19With a lion roaring on it, that's what I wanted, yeah.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21Now, look, it's Jules's toilet paper blue, actually.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Good choice, Jules. That's great.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26And then there's the thin leather in the middle,
0:35:26 > 0:35:28- so when you sit down, it folds. - Yeah.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30And the embroidery detail and then this is when you've got
0:35:30 > 0:35:33- your hot pans on your lap.- Yeah. That's very elegant, actually.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37You managed to combine the elegance I wanted
0:35:37 > 0:35:40with the ridiculousness that she wanted.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43I think Jules won that one.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45- That's very nice. Well done, everybody.- Yeah, it is.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47That's genius. Thank you.
0:35:47 > 0:35:52From things that perfectly fit to something that apparently doesn't.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54With the lift due to arrive in less than 24 hours,
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Mark has discovered a huge new problem.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02I went into the lift job and I don't think there's enough clearance
0:36:02 > 0:36:05to get the lift up through the first floor.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08This wall between the toilet and the lift shaft is five centimetres
0:36:08 > 0:36:10too wide for the lift to fit in.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13But moving it will mean taking down tiles, moving pipes, wiring, etc.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16It's a nightmare.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18- You still need 50 mil, though, don't you?- Yes.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22But James, who's been with us since day one, might have a plan.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26Basically, we're just going to take that wall,
0:36:26 > 0:36:31make it 50 mil smaller and put it back together.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33Hopefully we'll get away with it.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37- Fingers crossed.- All right.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Making the wall narrower is going to be really difficult to do without
0:36:40 > 0:36:43damaging the tiles on the other side.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Just a case of being careful,
0:36:45 > 0:36:49- taking our time, get it out...- Yeah. - ..put back.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52This level of care being shown by our trades
0:36:52 > 0:36:55is all about getting a mum back in the saddle,
0:36:55 > 0:36:59which may seem a strange or inappropriate use of words
0:36:59 > 0:37:03but in this case, it's actually very appropriate, as you're about to see.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05Before my accident, I was quite frightened of riding
0:37:05 > 0:37:07and then a friend said to me that riding
0:37:07 > 0:37:10would be a really good experience, having had an accident,
0:37:10 > 0:37:12because you gain four muscular legs,
0:37:12 > 0:37:16where you've lost the use of your two legs that no longer work.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18One, two, three.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21On you go. Lovely.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24I'm genuinely gobsmacked at Amanda
0:37:24 > 0:37:26and the fact that she doesn't have...
0:37:26 > 0:37:29I thought she'd be strapped into the saddle.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31That's entirely her own core strength
0:37:31 > 0:37:32that's holding her in position.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35If you'd have seen her six months ago,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38you know, you wouldn't think she would be doing this.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41- Are you not at all scared?- No. No!
0:37:43 > 0:37:45How determined is she by comparison to other people?
0:37:45 > 0:37:47Oh, totally.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49Like no-one else I've ever met, really.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51She's the most positive thinking,
0:37:51 > 0:37:54determined person that I've probably come across.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58And that's why she's doing so well.
0:38:00 > 0:38:01Good girl.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06How is that possible? It's amazing, isn't it?
0:38:06 > 0:38:09That grit and resilience has been enormously challenged
0:38:09 > 0:38:13since the accident 18 months ago.
0:38:13 > 0:38:14It's such a huge thing, isn't it?
0:38:14 > 0:38:18I mean, with all the challenges that you've faced,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21isn't it extraordinary that you can actually deal with
0:38:21 > 0:38:22the loss of the use of your legs,
0:38:22 > 0:38:25but you couldn't deal with, not being able to do the things
0:38:25 > 0:38:29- that you wanted to do as a mum? - My whole life was for my children.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32But I'd lost my role of being a mum and that really hit hard the most.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36My disability isn't because I don't have my legs,
0:38:36 > 0:38:40it's because of my house and that was the frustrating thing.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42I can have a real, you know, emotional days
0:38:42 > 0:38:46where I do get ever so upset and I will sob and sob and sob.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49I remember trying to get flour out of the cupboard just to make
0:38:49 > 0:38:52something and it was silly, I just couldn't reach it.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54I just had a real meltdown.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56You can't, as you say, always be on a high.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58- Of course.- You do have to have days.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00I guess I used to worry that if I started crying,
0:39:00 > 0:39:02I might not stop again.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05It's good to be open but I don't like to upset the children too much.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07Obviously if I cry and get really angry and upset,
0:39:07 > 0:39:08it then upsets them.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10- It makes them feel guilty. - Yeah, but by the same token,
0:39:10 > 0:39:13kids have to grow up with a sense that it's OK to be...
0:39:13 > 0:39:17- Yes.- ..to be human... - Be human.- ..not superhuman.- Yeah.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Because they are... I've never met children more proud of their mum.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22- Really?- Yeah, yeah.- Because they...
0:39:22 > 0:39:25They're teenagers, so it's not cool to tell their mum
0:39:25 > 0:39:26that they're proud.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28- Yeah.- I had a lot to live for, didn't I?
0:39:28 > 0:39:31I had so much to live for that day.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35There's anything up to 100 people a day crawling all over your house,
0:39:35 > 0:39:37doing six months' of work in nine days.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40They're the ones who've really given me
0:39:40 > 0:39:42my role back and they're the ones, I guess, at the end of the day
0:39:42 > 0:39:45that I'll be so thankful for for the rest of my life
0:39:45 > 0:39:47for giving me... Every time I'm doing something for the children,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50I'll have a big smile on my face thinking, "Gosh, you know,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53"all those people who came to the house and they've done this for me."
0:39:53 > 0:39:54It's just going to be beautiful
0:39:54 > 0:39:57because it's a house built with love.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59And she's not wrong.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01The build's motoring along...
0:40:01 > 0:40:03except in the troublesome lift shaft.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07James has less than 12 hours to get this wall narrowed
0:40:07 > 0:40:09before the lift arrives.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14- Morning!- Morning.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18- Morning.- Just a day to go, so I've got here early.
0:40:18 > 0:40:23It's 8.30 and, you know, our mate doesn't normally see 8.30, do you?
0:40:23 > 0:40:25Well, look how bright it is.
0:40:25 > 0:40:26Who wants to get up and, like, squint
0:40:26 > 0:40:28for the first couple of hours of the day?
0:40:28 > 0:40:30Have you had that earwax problem sorted out?
0:40:30 > 0:40:32Did it stop sticking your head to the pillow?
0:40:32 > 0:40:33It's sorted out now, is it?
0:40:33 > 0:40:36See, that's not necessary, is it?
0:40:36 > 0:40:39What is necessary is getting this garden finished.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41- Plants are here by nine. - Got topsoil?- Topsoil's here.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44- Six tonnes of it.- Sounds like you've got it all under control.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47- Oh, yes.- With a day to go. - Don't jinx it!
0:40:49 > 0:40:50We're in the final push now.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52The all-important lift is due to arrive any minute
0:40:52 > 0:40:55and upstairs, James has worked magic.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01So you're the man who's managed to unskin a wall from behind
0:41:01 > 0:41:03the plasterboard, which has been tiled
0:41:03 > 0:41:07- without damaging a single tile and put a whole new wall on?- Yeah.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10That's... That is, isn't it? That is...
0:41:10 > 0:41:13- Remarkable. - ..pretty amazing.- It's been good.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15It's been emotional, I tell you.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18You know, at the very start you said it would be emotional
0:41:18 > 0:41:20and I think, yeah, it definitely has been.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22It has been emotional for us, too,
0:41:22 > 0:41:27especially because the arriving lift is very special to this DIY family.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30Six years ago, we helped an amazing man, Eric Rivers,
0:41:30 > 0:41:32who suffered with motor neurone disease.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37This time that we've got from here on in
0:41:37 > 0:41:42is the most precious time we've got as a family.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45This lift meant the family could be together.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51Thank you so much. It's beautiful!
0:41:51 > 0:41:55You've changed five lives.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58I was falling.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02You guys have joined hands and caught me.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07Thank you. Thank you.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11Sadly, Eric passed away over a year ago
0:42:11 > 0:42:15but his wife Davina has decided to make an incredible gift
0:42:15 > 0:42:18to Amanda's family.
0:42:18 > 0:42:19Davina. It is Davina.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22- Hello, hello.- Hi, sweetheart.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24- How are you?- Hello!
0:42:24 > 0:42:28We've got a present for you. Hello, hello.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31How are you doing? It's lovely to see you all again.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34- Hello.- Hi! How are you doing? - Very well.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36You've brought us a present.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39We thought you might be able to use Eric's lift
0:42:39 > 0:42:43and I know you've got a very special person that needs one.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47- Yeah.- And we were very keen that somebody could use it
0:42:47 > 0:42:51again after Eric passed away because it made such a difference
0:42:51 > 0:42:53to our lives and we'd love it to make the same difference
0:42:53 > 0:42:57to someone else. And I just know he would be delighted
0:42:57 > 0:43:00that this is going to be used for somebody
0:43:00 > 0:43:02- that's really in need of help. - I don't doubt that at all.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04A helping hand, you know?
0:43:04 > 0:43:06He'd have been the first person to offer help
0:43:06 > 0:43:09- if he'd had the opportunity. - 100%.- This is amazing...
0:43:09 > 0:43:11- Yeah.- ..recycling all this.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16Now the lift's here, it's just the finishing touches.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18What the flaming flamingo is going on in here?
0:43:18 > 0:43:20Oh, it's gorgeous, isn't it? Isn't it amazing?
0:43:20 > 0:43:22If you say so, Sophie.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25We've also got an amazing mechanical bed for Amanda.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27These gentlemen last did a bed for us
0:43:27 > 0:43:30when we did Eric Rivers's house.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32- Excellent.- So how amazing is that?
0:43:32 > 0:43:34How coincidental is that that you've come to help out?
0:43:34 > 0:43:36Look at the colours as well.
0:43:36 > 0:43:37You've done the colours we wanted.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41And talking of the lift, it's now fitted and working perfectly.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43This is cool.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45This is very, very cool.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48My sofa's arrived! That is even cooler.
0:43:48 > 0:43:49I'll tell you what is cool,
0:43:49 > 0:43:53we've got a rise and fall worktop for Billy to live under.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55- It is high, yeah? - It's good, isn't it?
0:43:57 > 0:44:00With just hours left there's a final problem...
0:44:02 > 0:44:04..the washing machine won't fit under the counter,
0:44:04 > 0:44:09so the plumbers are staying late to make sure it's sorted.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12Were you going to do anything tonight?
0:44:12 > 0:44:14I was going to try to put my little boy to bed,
0:44:14 > 0:44:16but I haven't done since Tuesday.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18Never mind, it's all for the right reasons.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22These trades are brilliant.
0:44:30 > 0:44:35Nine days ago, Amanda was trapped in a house that stole her role as mum.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38So our house of horror, as I like to call my house,
0:44:38 > 0:44:41because everything in it is just not designed
0:44:41 > 0:44:43for someone in a wheelchair.
0:44:43 > 0:44:44She was struggling to hold on to her dignity
0:44:44 > 0:44:47and her children had become carers.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49It's like you can't really be a kid any more.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53You have to really step up and, like, grow up and just take it.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58It's taken an epic effort...
0:44:58 > 0:45:01- It doesn't actually ease up at all. - It's been good.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04It's been emotional, I tell you.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07..from a whole community of trades...
0:45:07 > 0:45:09I don't know how much money I'm going to have at any one time,
0:45:09 > 0:45:12but I know I've got a limited amount of time,
0:45:12 > 0:45:15so the most precious thing I can give you is time.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18..to make a family complete again.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23We've given them a spacious and colourful living area
0:45:23 > 0:45:26with wheelchair access throughout.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33There's a new dining table where the family can put the world to rights.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36We've packed it with automated controls
0:45:36 > 0:45:38so Amanda can be independent.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43And we've made the garden completely level.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46It's now an oasis of peace, with raised planters
0:45:46 > 0:45:49and even space for Amanda's hand bike.
0:45:52 > 0:45:56Travel through the generous entrance hall and you find yourself in the kitchen,
0:45:56 > 0:45:58which has rise-and-fall worktops
0:45:58 > 0:46:02so Amanda can get back to the cooking she loves -
0:46:02 > 0:46:04and to be the mum she used to be.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06There's low-level storage and all mod cons,
0:46:06 > 0:46:09to make life that little bit easier.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18The lift, so generously donated, will transform another life,
0:46:18 > 0:46:21finally giving Amanda the freedom to get around the house safely.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27Upstairs, the wide landing has a huge turning circle,
0:46:27 > 0:46:30and leads to the new wet room,
0:46:30 > 0:46:34giving Amanda back independence and some dignity.
0:46:34 > 0:46:36With a bit of luxury thrown in, too.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40The new master bedroom gives Amanda and Vic
0:46:40 > 0:46:43a sanctuary to be a couple again -
0:46:43 > 0:46:46and yes, the colours are vibrant and fantastic.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48There's a state-of-the-art mechanical bed,
0:46:48 > 0:46:50and Amanda can open the curtains
0:46:50 > 0:46:52with a touch of a button.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57All within easy reach of Amelia and Joe's rooms -
0:46:57 > 0:47:00so a mum can finally kiss her children good night.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06Sophie's design reflects their personalities,
0:47:06 > 0:47:09and upstairs is now a riot of colour.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14Up in the loft, we've given Jacob and Megan
0:47:14 > 0:47:16cool and sophisticated rooms,
0:47:16 > 0:47:19which reflect the young adults they're becoming.
0:47:19 > 0:47:23This house is finally a place Amanda can call home.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27We wanted to give you a space that you could operate in
0:47:27 > 0:47:29where you could be a family again,
0:47:29 > 0:47:31where you're able basically to be...a mum again.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33So...
0:47:33 > 0:47:34we hope this is it.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37Three, two, one. Open your eyes.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39SHE GASPS
0:47:40 > 0:47:41Ooh, wow.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43Oh, my God...
0:47:43 > 0:47:44Look at that, Mandy.
0:47:46 > 0:47:48- My rocking chair!- Your rocking chair.
0:47:48 > 0:47:49A pink rocking chair!
0:47:49 > 0:47:53It's just too much to take in. It's just amazing.
0:47:53 > 0:47:54It's just...
0:48:00 > 0:48:02- Thank you so much!- Lovely.
0:48:05 > 0:48:06It's beyond words,
0:48:06 > 0:48:08it's beyond anything I could have imagined.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12We've got some pretty important things here, this is your central heating unit -
0:48:12 > 0:48:14now, you can take that with you wherever you are in the house,
0:48:14 > 0:48:16and it will make sure that whatever room you're in,
0:48:16 > 0:48:18it's the temperature you want to be.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21So... Do you want a moment?
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Just take a moment out for a little hug, shall we?
0:48:23 > 0:48:24You didn't think I'd cry!
0:48:24 > 0:48:27NICK LAUGHS No! I didn't.
0:48:29 > 0:48:30Sorry...
0:48:30 > 0:48:32I've got central heating
0:48:32 > 0:48:34and I can control it myself!
0:48:35 > 0:48:39That sounds really silly, but just to have control is so important.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42It really is.
0:48:42 > 0:48:43Thank you so much.
0:48:44 > 0:48:48Oh, my God! The kids will just absolutely... Look at the...
0:48:48 > 0:48:49Wow. It's amazing.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55There's a couple of things that are worth mentioning -
0:48:55 > 0:48:58so if you want to watch TV during the day,
0:48:58 > 0:49:00or you want a movie you can close the curtains,
0:49:00 > 0:49:03- but you can control the blind from here.- Can do it from there as well.- Yeah.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06The idea is basically that you're in control of all of these things.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09- I am.- Yeah?- I'm in control of everything.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11You are in control of everything.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13Also, you'll find that the house is flat from here
0:49:13 > 0:49:17- all the way to the back of the garden.- The garden looks massive!
0:49:17 > 0:49:19Now it's all easy for me to get to and everything.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22- It's a great family space, don't you think?- It's phenomenal.
0:49:22 > 0:49:24We would never, ever have been able to do this, would we?
0:49:24 > 0:49:26No. Never, never, never, never, never.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29- I've got more things to show you. Want to come through?- More?! Gosh.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31I've only just recovered from THIS amount.
0:49:33 > 0:49:34So this is your new hallway.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39We asked all of your kids to write down what...
0:49:39 > 0:49:42- No, they didn't say these things... - So these are their words.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51They're the reason why I got through all of this.
0:49:51 > 0:49:52VOICEOVER: And the next room
0:49:52 > 0:49:56is going to give her back what she wants most of all.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59Wow, look at the kitchen.
0:50:00 > 0:50:01Wow!
0:50:01 > 0:50:03- Oh, my goodness. - You can get underneath.
0:50:03 > 0:50:07But look at all the stuff as well, and the cooker!
0:50:07 > 0:50:09Yeah. The trouble is, it's too high, isn't it?
0:50:09 > 0:50:11A little bit, yeah, maybe.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13But it goes up and down?!
0:50:13 > 0:50:15Oh, wow!
0:50:15 > 0:50:17How's that for a sitting point?
0:50:23 > 0:50:24SHE SNIFFS
0:50:24 > 0:50:28- It's my little heaven, isn't it? - It is. Yeah.- My little paradise.
0:50:30 > 0:50:34With cooking, if you were to spill anything hot on your legs,
0:50:34 > 0:50:36you wouldn't necessarily know about it, would you?
0:50:36 > 0:50:38No, I find at the end of the evening when I go to bed,
0:50:38 > 0:50:42- take my trousers off and I've got blisters everywhere.- Yeah.- So that's a bit too late, then.
0:50:42 > 0:50:46So we had a cast around to see if we could find anybody who works with leather in the area. And...
0:50:46 > 0:50:49- Oh, my gosh!- ..they've made you... - Look at this.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52If you put this on your lap, this is a really,
0:50:52 > 0:50:54really clever heat resistant pad.
0:50:54 > 0:50:55Can I actually put things on there?
0:50:55 > 0:50:58- Yes.- Serious?- You can put hot things on there and it won't do any damage.
0:50:58 > 0:50:59That's amazing!
0:50:59 > 0:51:02So does this mean with the adjustments that we've made here...
0:51:02 > 0:51:05I won't be leaving the place, I'll be cooking in here all day long.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07It's just given me everything back again,
0:51:07 > 0:51:08all the cupboards I can reach...
0:51:08 > 0:51:11Whilst we're here - just reach up to that cupboard...
0:51:11 > 0:51:12Can you reach it?
0:51:12 > 0:51:15- Oh, look!- Reach the handle... - You can pull them out!
0:51:15 > 0:51:19Do you know, I've lost my wheelchair - this house takes my wheelchair away from me.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21- It does.- It gives my normality again...
0:51:21 > 0:51:23I'm actually Mum.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25It's just amazing, I'm just so lucky.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28So, we've got a kitchen that you can cook in
0:51:28 > 0:51:30and you can get access to everything.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33What else though? What was the other difficulty that you had?
0:51:33 > 0:51:35Gosh, yeah. Toilet...?
0:51:36 > 0:51:39VOICEOVER: And to get up there, the gift that will give Amanda freedom.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43- Is that what I think it might be? - You know what that is...
0:51:43 > 0:51:45- Got a lift!- You've got a lift.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48Actually this lift is very, very special to us...
0:51:51 > 0:51:55There's a chap called Eric Rivers who suffered with motor neurone disease.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57He had this lift for five years,
0:51:57 > 0:51:58and, er,
0:51:58 > 0:52:02it did amazing things, and it created amazing things in his life.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05Being able to spend time with his children...
0:52:05 > 0:52:08And he passed away, but his wife Davina then rang us and said
0:52:08 > 0:52:10can we give it to somebody who needs it. So...
0:52:10 > 0:52:12- Oh, they've given it to us?!- Mm.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14That's so kind.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16Right. So...
0:52:17 > 0:52:19So we've got some more stuff to show you now.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26Oh, I'm going!
0:52:26 > 0:52:28I'll see you upstairs, bye!
0:52:29 > 0:52:31Oh, wow!
0:52:31 > 0:52:32Oh, my gosh.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36So, a number of doors around you here.
0:52:36 > 0:52:37I know, there's so many doors,
0:52:37 > 0:52:40and it's like...it's my house but I don't have a clue what's in it.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43It's cool, isn't it? It's really funny. The door...
0:52:43 > 0:52:45SHE GASPS
0:52:48 > 0:52:50Oh, fantastic!
0:52:51 > 0:52:52Look at the colours!
0:52:54 > 0:52:56I'm going to cry again.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59- Independence!- Yeah.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01No more relying on Vic.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04Right. What haven't we shown you so far...?
0:53:04 > 0:53:06You need a bedroom.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08- A bedroom would be lovely, wouldn't it?- Yeah?
0:53:08 > 0:53:09OK. This one...
0:53:09 > 0:53:11Oh...!
0:53:11 > 0:53:14- Look at the carpet. Pink carpet. - Pink carpet!
0:53:14 > 0:53:15Oh, look at the headboard.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17SHE GASPS
0:53:17 > 0:53:21It's just a beautiful little room, it's just... It's a Mandy room.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23There's little pom-poms!
0:53:23 > 0:53:26- Do you know who made the pom-poms? - No, who made the pom-poms?
0:53:26 > 0:53:28- The girls.- I love it.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30And the girls did these?
0:53:30 > 0:53:33- So, have you got everything you need?- More.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36- Does it take the pressure off of you?- Absolutely it'll take the pressure off of me.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38- In all areas?- In all areas, yeah.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40And how does that change YOUR life?
0:53:40 > 0:53:43It means I've got my independence back, and my role as mum.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45Mummy is what I wanted to be.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47And I can be me, we can all be ourselves again.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49The children can be children,
0:53:49 > 0:53:50Vic can be a husband,
0:53:50 > 0:53:53I can be a wife and a mum.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55- Listen, we can't get you into the loft...- No.- No.- Obviously.
0:53:55 > 0:53:56Can I carry Mandy up there?
0:53:56 > 0:53:59- You all right? You're not going to drop me?- I'll try not to.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01- Oh, wow... - Mind your head.- Ooh, me head!
0:54:01 > 0:54:02SHE GASPS
0:54:02 > 0:54:03Wow!
0:54:05 > 0:54:07- This is stunning in here.- It is, isn't it?
0:54:07 > 0:54:10Absolutely beautiful.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15God, look at Jacob's room, it's very grown-up.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18- Oh, my God! He's going to LOVE this.- It's lovely, isn't it?
0:54:18 > 0:54:20VOICEOVER: Time to show the kids...
0:54:20 > 0:54:21Welcome home!
0:54:28 > 0:54:32Ready, guys? This is our new... kitchen!
0:54:34 > 0:54:35- Oh, my...! - THEY ALL LAUGH EXCITEDLY
0:54:37 > 0:54:40- Bye!- Bye. I'm going up...
0:54:40 > 0:54:42Really overwhelmed.
0:54:42 > 0:54:46Because I can't believe this is our house.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49And everything is just all accessible for her.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51- SHE SNIFFS AND SOBS - She can be a mum again.
0:54:53 > 0:54:57So amazing, and the fact that people have done this for my mum is brilliant.
0:54:57 > 0:54:58Here we go...
0:54:58 > 0:55:01Look - bed by the window.
0:55:01 > 0:55:02It's so nice.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05- I like your pillows and stuff. - Love it.
0:55:05 > 0:55:06It's SO my bedroom.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08I love you.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10- Mwah!- Love it. Thank you so much.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12Beautiful, isn't it? He loves it.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15- SHE GASPS - Oh, my God.
0:55:15 > 0:55:19My God, I love it. I love it so much.
0:55:19 > 0:55:23I literally didn't expect this, at all. I'm so happy with it.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27Thank you so much, thank you so much.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29- We'll cry again if we have a hug!- I know.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33Love you so much. So proud of you.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35Oh, wow...
0:55:35 > 0:55:38What do you think?
0:55:38 > 0:55:39Oh, this is so cool.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41Amazing. It's crazy.
0:55:41 > 0:55:42- Very nice.- It's crazy.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45- It is. - VIC LAUGHS
0:55:46 > 0:55:48Oh, my God, it's amazing!
0:55:50 > 0:55:51Oh, my gosh. I love it.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55It's perfect. And I've got a desk to study!
0:55:55 > 0:55:57- Oh, I never had a desk before.- Yeah.
0:55:57 > 0:55:59What do you make of the house, then? Happy?
0:55:59 > 0:56:02Happy beyond words.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04- Is it going to work for you all? ALL:- Yeah.- Certainly is.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07- Like to meet some of the people that have done this?- Definitely.
0:56:10 > 0:56:11APPLAUSE
0:56:22 > 0:56:25It's not often that I get stuck for words...
0:56:25 > 0:56:27but it might be a moment.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30We've just come from
0:56:30 > 0:56:33the most beautiful, beautiful home,
0:56:33 > 0:56:36above and beyond anything we could have imagined.
0:56:36 > 0:56:37But most importantly
0:56:37 > 0:56:41all I wanted to be when I had my accident was a mum again.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44And although the doctors mended me physically,
0:56:44 > 0:56:46and mended all my broken bones...
0:56:46 > 0:56:48with everything YOU'VE done
0:56:48 > 0:56:51you've mended my heart. Because you've given me my mum duties back again.
0:56:53 > 0:56:56You've given ALL of our lives back, though, really.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58We can all do our proper roles within the house.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00So it means so, so much to all of us.
0:57:00 > 0:57:02It's incredible. And there's no way we can thank all of you enough
0:57:02 > 0:57:05- for what you've done for us. - Yeah, thank you.
0:57:13 > 0:57:15You know, Amanda was determined from the very start -
0:57:15 > 0:57:17in fact the evening of her injury -
0:57:17 > 0:57:20to let the world know that she was not going to be defined
0:57:20 > 0:57:24by her disability. In fact, she goes out into schools and workplaces
0:57:24 > 0:57:28and gives lectures on the fact that there IS life after serious injury.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31And the medical staff did an amazing job of saving her life and getting her home,
0:57:31 > 0:57:35but she couldn't BE a mum - only these people could do that.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38And if you're looking for a reason to give your time, volunteering,
0:57:38 > 0:57:42what better reason than to make a mum...a mum again?
0:57:42 > 0:57:45You know, we can't help everyone - but everyone can help someone.