The Big Build Children in Need Special - Edinburgh DIY SOS

Oh, there you are. You know how this works?

DIY SOS Big Build, City of Edinburgh, and a question -

how do you fit 9,500 man-hours, 300 builders

and a giant renovation of a community project

into just one hour?

We're about to show you.

We're here for Children In Need,

to help with a centre for young people with special needs.

But this centre is more than just a building.

It's a home.

There's no other way to describe it. It is a home.

-What sort of things happen at The Yard?

-Happy!

It makes you feel happy, does it? Is it your favourite place?

-Do you think?

-Yeah, I think so.

-Yeah.

'It's a massive project.'

It's like standing in the middle of a human ant hill.

It is like an ant hill.

'But the commitment is exceptional.'

It's for the kids, you know.

If you cannae help them, there's something wrong.

Later in the programme,

we'll tell you how you can help Children In Need.

As usual, the team and I are here,

but once again we'll need an army of builders to make this happen.

Look at this. A builders' yard. This is DIY SOS The Big Build!

THEY CHEER

-What things have you got in your shop?

-We've got all this.

'This is six-year-old Jamie Pass and his little sister, Erin.'

-Is that the Swiss...what's it called, Swiss...?

-Swiss roll.

-Is it?

'Jamie has special needs.'

-We're playing baker shops.

-I can see that.

'It's hard for Mum, Gillian, to deal with.'

We need to go back.

'We were really shut off by Jamie's disability,'

because in a lot of ways people look at him and say,

"He's a normal child, it's just you're not controlling him."

'Jamie was diagnosed with autism just before his fourth birthday.'

Getting this diagnosis was a great relief, but we had about a month

where we had practically every service coming in, and then

everything died down again, and you were left again to fend for yourself.

-Me don't think Daddy no like.

-You don't think Daddy would like that.

He was at the stage where he was in a nursery biting, hitting, kicking

and I would come in every day and be given litany of his bad behaviour.

And during that time somebody said to me, "Have you gone to The Yard?

"Have you seen The Yard?"

-'So, what is The Yard?'

-Hello!

The Yard is a drop-in centre in the heart of Edinburgh

for children with special needs.

For mums like Gillian...

-Stop.

-Go!

..it's a lifeline.

I was literally ready to phone The Samaritans.

We had no friends, that would come and have a play date

because Jamie was quite abusive.

His little sister was months old and really as she got older

he was quite abusive to her too.

But I came to The Yard and I walked through the door

and I felt I was home.

Gillian's son, Jamie, loves coming here.

He has a great creative freedom in the art room.

He's painted his own stop and go sign.

And he adores roadworks, he polices now the go-karts that go round

The Yard when they have to stop and go.

I love it because there's lots of things and it has cones.

-There's lots of things and there's road cones!

-Yes!

-And your sign.

Show them the stop.

Stop, go.

The Yard helps 1,500 children and their families,

children aged 3 to 25 are welcome.

They have a whole range of additional needs.

Lauren Shaw was born with Down's Syndrome.

I play go-karts.

Go-karts, yes.

-Bikes, on the swing, the big swing.

-And the art room.

-Art room.

-Yeah.

-Be careful.

-I will!

Lauren's mum, Monica, told me that she wants just one thing for her.

I want her to be happy and content. And to have friends.

And to have a life, to have a good routine,

a nice home and to be happy.

And do you see those things blossoming in Lauren at The Yard?

Yes. Absolutely.

I've been doing baking.

-And you do it all yourself, don't you?

-All by myself.

The skills that she's learning there,

because she's with children who don't look at her differently,

they don't notice, they're just playing with her, mates.

They're just hanging out, and so's Lauren, you know?

So Lauren's not being mollycoddled,

or treated differently at all.

You know, she's in the thick of the game.

And that is so important for her growing up, to learn these skills.

Celine Sinclair leads the team,

helping families like Gillian's and Monica's.

We can provide love and care and support for our children,

but we can't make friends for them.

And, you know, at The Yard, that is something we can do.

We have the space and the support to actually end some of that

social isolation that children with additional support needs face.

Because nobody wants their children to be lonely.

They use what they have, but it's falling apart.

The tiny kitchen the kids love cooking in,

an ageing art room and a tattered and dated sensory room.

Outside, the children love the network of cycle ways.

There's a great big swing, and as many adventures as staff can create.

The keyword here is imagination.

But imagination can only take you so far.

At The Yard we have to raise a lot of money every year

and without BBC Children In Need we would simply not be operating.

We might be really strong as an organisation in terms of what

we deliver, but we are housed in a completely dilapidated,

falling-apart building.

We have to meet regulations.

We work with children with very complex needs.

Next, we are going to have to replace our kitchen.

We wouldn't be allowed to operate

with the kind of kitchen that we have just now.

We face the problem in the future of having to replace

a very, very antiquated heating system.

And outside, we did have a climbing structure until last year,

but that's completely rotten.

Make no mistake, The Yard is a cherished and loved service,

but a decrepit building

and soaring running costs threaten to leave them without a home.

Without this service, there are an awful lot of children

and families within the city of Edinburgh

who wouldn't receive the respite that we offer them,

and who wouldn't have a safe space to play in.

There's families that have got nowhere else

to take their children.

I mean, nowhere else.

It would be taking away from these children's futures,

these children's lives would be altered because of it.

So, what would make it better for the children?

Somewhere safe that he can climb and explore.

-He'd love to climb trees and things like that.

-Yes! Of course!

-Of course.

I'd like a slide and a violin.

Slide and you'd like a violin.

First I've heard.

Children with special needs are hard on things.

They will whack something, they will bang it.

Things just become more dilapidated.

And we're thankful for what we've got,

but if it could be better for our kids,

we would be very thankful for that too.

'So, it's out with over 1,000 children and in...

'..with the team and hundreds of builders. Look at them!

'As usual, we've got just nine days to finish the build.

'Mind you, we'll be getting some amazing kit for them.'

-We're having proper traffic lights.

-Proper traffic lights.

-Wow, with buttons that kids can cross?

-Everything. Yes.

'And, of course, all this outside work

'will be much easier in sunshine. Sunshine in Scotland, ha!'

-Weather going to be all right for you, hey?

-Doesn't bother me.

-Doesn't bother you at all?

-Scottish.

See, a different kind of bloke up here.

'There is so much to change that we've put

'Julian in charge of all the works outside.

'See if you can guess why.'

And all your diggers.

I mean, there's loads of groundwork going on.

Pretty to watch, isn't it?

All that movement, some swinging that way, some swinging that way,

dumpers mingling around.

Love that, love a bit of groundworks, me.

It's like, sort of, engineering ballet.

That's exactly what it is, isn't it?

There's a man in his element.

'Inside, Billy's already made himself right at home.'

# Billy is his name It sets me aflame

# And so it's a shame, you see... #

Hi, I'm Billy. Nice to meet you.

How are you finding working with Billy at the moment?

-Is it all right?

-Quite fun.

-Special, isn't it?

-He never stops laughing.

-Telling funny jokes, singing along.

-Telling funny jokes?

Telling jokes. Funny jokes, that's a different thing altogether, really.

-I've moved it up there, now.

-Up that way.

'But we're not mad,

'it's Chris who's been given the task

'of running the work inside.'

-There's nearly a new format for DIY SOS here.

-What you mean?

Well, I do the inside, Jules does the outside.

-I do the little bits of chat in between.

-You do the link.

Billy obviously still on the electrics.

Well, unfortunately, we've inherited him, inside and out.

-It's kind of leaves one person, then, who's...

-Flying in the wind.

Redundant, a little bit, really, you know what I mean?

'That's a good point, actually. Where is Mark?

'Ah, there he is.'

I'm really busy, actually, I'm tweeting for some cakes.

'Actually, that's quite important, yes.

'Someone needs to keep their eye on the bigger picture.'

# What's new, pussy cat? Whoa, whoa, whoa. #

'This bigger picture is the brainchild

'of our resident designer, Gabrielle Blackman.'

This centre is a complete lifeline for families that use it.

It's really emotional for them, this place,

and we've got to make a space for them to be able to socialise

with each other and look after each other more.

'And we should all look after each other more, so here's Gabby's plan.'

The sensory room will be rebuilt and renewed.

New flooring, heating and insulation will make the place cosy

and cheaper to run.

There'll be a new storage room

and a wall to provide a little privacy for the loos.

Families will love the dedicated play space for the under fives.

Their old room becomes the office, while the art room gets a refit.

By removing this wall, the kitchen becomes huge,

with a new door to a grown-up cafe area.

What about out here? How are we going to change this?

Because they already love this area.

They love it, but there's loads of things that were not working

and we've just got to really take a fresh look at it, really.

So we've broken it down into sections

and the community here are incredible.

And we've got parents and amazing friends in here

just taking it section by section to make each bit really enjoyable.

So, we're completely renovating the wheelchair swing,

we're re-tarmacing the cycleways,

adding traffic lights, which Jamie will love, of course,

and a dome to provide shelter in inclement weather.

There's a new roundabout, water features, a sandpit, there's...

Well, there's masses going on, too much to list!

You'll see it as it happens.

-Is it going to be beautiful then?

-It is going to be beautiful.

-But is it going to be beautiful?

-It is.

Will they like it more than they like it now?

-No, they are going to like it more.

-Promise?

-I do promise.

-Pinky promise?

-Pinky promise. It's going to be fab.

-High-five.

-Low five.

-No, not this bit!

-High one.

'The children love cooking, we've mention that,

'and the old kitchen was tiny and wheelchair users couldn't join in.

'This new kitchen will have something very special for them -

'moving units.'

A wheelchair user wants access to the wall units,

They'll press a button and wall units will come down

to meet the wheelchair, and stop at wheelchair height.

-So it's all quite specialised.

-That's fantastic.

I might get one myself.

So that anyone of normal height that comes in to your kitchen...

Say you came round to cook dinner...

But if you're going to use it, you just press...

It will all come down to my height.

-Nice.

-Isn't it?

-Like that. That could work, couldn't it?

Yes, definitely. I don't think it goes that low, does it?

'You've got to love it when the trades join in too.

'And that's not always doing, here. Go on, Chris!'

What's going on with this window?

I'll give you, very generously, two guesses.

What's it saying to you? I am now a...

Hippopotamus.

-No, door.

-Door.

-It's a door.

French windows?

-Possibly, not sure.

-A big opening, basically. What you can walk out of.

-Instead of just looking out of.

-Wheelchair access.

Well done, gentlemen.

'It's all happening so quick.

'This is a unique build in so many ways.

'I don't think I've ever seen undercoat applied on day one.

'Hold on, that is undercoat, isn't it? Oh, it's not undercoat?'

I know that designers these days, and I have on several

occasions made the point that designers are obsessed with grey.

Are we going to have the grey rant?

Yes, you are going to have the grey rant.

We do houses, and everyone's going on about how grey is in,

and every designer does grey and 14 shades of grey, and now we have a chance with kids,

where you want bright colours, and we paint it battleship grey again.

Trust me, it is going to look...

The whole point is that the windows disappear and the trees

are what you see - the green and the beautiful outdoors.

-That's the point.

-Why don't you paint them green, then?

Because you don't want a fake green next to the real green of nature.

That would look rubbish.

'Would it, though? Am I being picky? Am I hard to please?

'Speaking of hard to please,

'here comes the man from the accident prevention people, RoSPA.'

So, are you here to tell us that we can't do that

cos it's too dangerous or are you here to tell us,

"If you're going to do that, it'd be better if you did this?"

-How does it work?

-Yeah, it's about what is it you want to achieve

and how can we help you to come up with a sensible solution?

So, instead of banning an activity like climbing

because you might fall off,

rather, just make sure that what you are climbing is suitable,

the thing is a suitable size for children to get their hands on them.

So, how's it looking? Cos we got lots of different things going on.

It's fantastic. Yeah. I've never seen so many hi-vis jackets in one place.

Yeah.

'Well, that's nice, isn't it? Nice to get something right.

'But that grey is still going on. I need a break.'

Fancy a cup of tea?

-Yeah, that would be nice.

-What tea do you want?

Earl Grey would be lovely, actually.

'In such tough times the generosity of everyone here is...

'Well, do you know, it's incredible.'

-Brilliant. How long are you giving us?

-Three boys for ten days.

-Three boys for ten days?

-Yeah.

-And you're paying them?

-Yeah.

-But you're not going to get paid?

-Yeah.

-Mate, thank you very much.

Every single one of these people has their own reason to be here.

One of the colleagues that I work with, his younger son came here,

he's got learning difficulties.

He is now turning 23. We only started discussing this about a week ago.

We told him we are getting involved when we heard about it

and it was good to be part of something for somebody you know and you're helping them out.

Everyone loves the big swing.

It is being completely renovated by two tradesmen

who both have children here. Dave's daughter is Hannah.

It's kind of awe-inspiring, really, isn't it?

That these guys all give up all their time to come in here

and do this for us, really. Us and our families.

You know, it's...very generous. Very.

Tony has got a daughter, Sissy, who is a regular here. There she is.

When I got a schedule emailed through with who was coming,

I was totally, totally amazed at the amount of people

who are giving up their free time to come and do this.

How will your Sissy react?

How will she react? She will love the place. She'll jump up and down.

She'll flap her hands like she normally does.

She'll be totally excited.

Tony's invited me to pop round and see the family.

Wife Dawn, Sidney and Sissy.

Sissy has Asperger's.

Right, Sissy, can you pretend that they're not there?

Are you going to do the game with us?

Time at home can be very challenging for everyone.

Does she need to do the game with us?

Hello.

Oh, what are we playing?

Sissy, what is your game?

'When I turn up...'

-Can you show me how it works, Sissy?

-No, I need your finger.

'..she doesn't want to talk. Which is fine.'

Not particularly in the mood today.

'Having Asperger's can make her inflexible at home.

'This is not all the family have to deal with.'

When Sissy's having a good day, she can have a chat with you

-and she can just be OK.

-Have a conversation, yeah.

But her moods can change in a minute.

She will kick walls, she'll cry, she'll wail

and the whole house will just descend into chaos.

'Beyond the immediate family,

'it's so hard for anyone to really understand. Why would they?'

You need people who are in your situation. You really, really do.

And that's where The Yard comes in.

Dawn and her fellow mums rely on it for friendship and support.

Why is it so important that this place survive the cuts

and the difficulties and the financial difficulties?

Well, there's nothing like it. We've tried everywhere.

It's a place where you can be with your friends and share

and talk openly and completely honestly about your life

and your experiences bringing up your child.

There is nowhere else like it.

It tends to be that you join something that is

for your child or you go to somewhere that's for you.

Here it is for the whole family. It's for everybody.

So we all come together. This place supports all of us as a family.

How important is the respite aspect of this

where you can get five minutes' break?

Yeah, and they can get five minutes' break from us.

-Exactly, uh-huh.

-You think it works both ways?

It's very important for them. Oh, aye.

'But nothing in their lives is simple.'

We want them to have the same kind of play experiences

other children get to have. But they can't have it in the park next door.

They can't have it in places like soft play and things like that

because there's always eyes on them.

People are always apprehensive or anxious

about the way they are going to behave.

Here they can have the same play experience as everybody else.

And when the children are happy, the mums are getting a break too.

Even we get respite in other forms.

There's respite, they came and said, "You have to leave the house."

And I said, "I actually just want five minutes in the house by myself to clean the bathroom."

And I was able to send Jamie here with the respite worker

and I got to clean the bathroom.

These mums live in a world where even the most menial tasks

are a welcome break.

Which is why we need to sort out this building and its grounds

to make sure The Yard is still here in another 20 years.

It's officially the end of the day, but we can't get people to go home

cos they're so excited about how much has happened in this room.

If you look, the sanctuary room has been taken apart

and a new one built in its place -

much bigger, much brighter and much more impressive.

The art room has been taken apart and a new one is ready to go in.

In this room, we have taken out a wall and we have made a space

ready for patio doors over in the corner and put a steel in.

We've built a new room in the corner here

which is going to be like a utility room.

If you look over that side, believe it or not,

that's already been painted.

There's huge things happened out in the garden here.

If you look here there is 60 tonnes of spoil has been taken away.

That is 40 tonnes waiting to go. And where has it come from?

Well, it's come from this area.

The sandpit has been completely cleared out

and an area in the corner for a climbing frame has been made.

Up here, a new pathway has been made around the top

and a base for, like, a giant Wendy house

has been built over there.

And, of course, the swing that everybody loves so much

is being revamped in the corner.

How did we do so much in just one day?

Cos 90 people turned up to help, that's how. Pretty impressive, eh?

Morning.

A bright new day, but Jules has already managed

to lose that spring in his step.

Yeah, I'm beginning to get stressed out and I don't want to

cos that's one thing I told myself I wasn't going to do

was get stressed out.

Face rubbing is generally the sign. I'm generally, you know...

It's the start of my stress point.

I don't like being stressed out.

Oh, dear. This won't help Jules either.

We have just dug up a cable.

The funny thing about a hole - when you've got one

it's amazing how many men will gather round to look into it.

Trust me. Try doing this -

dig a hole somewhere and stand there looking into it.

You'll suddenly have about four or five other blokes looking into it as well.

Don't go near that with a spade until somebody who knows

what they're talking about tells you it's safe.

-I though he knew what he was talking about.

-Him?

I'm surprised they come in there and asked me to sort it out.

I thought, "Whoa, hold it." James! Oh, here he is.

So, I dinnae believe anything he tells me, no?

-Nothing at all he tells you.

-Here, get in there.

We still go and lay flowers on the grave of the last person

who believed what he said.

It's a bit damp round here, but a new Wendy house or log house

or house made of logs is flying up. Is it a shop? Is it a shelter?

Maybe a puppet show. It's up to the children, really.

Thank you.

A climbing designer and the kids love climbing too,

but our plans for a fort are in trouble.

No matter how many diagrams we pore over,

we can't work out how to make a tunnel through the fort.

Luckily...

..we've unleashed 100% pure Scottish inspiration.

He's even called Jock.

Jock is my new best friend and I'm actually going to get him

a lovely scarf because he's been doing so much designing today,

but you need to have a big scarf to be a designer.

We've been falling over this the whole time and Jock said,

"Well, why don't we use that for the tunnel?" We had the guys

look at the metal and it's all good so the kids will absolutely love it.

Any other brilliant ideas just come and secretly tell them

and I'll pretend that they are mine. OK? Is that all right?

He's a very happy chap as well, isn't he?

This building costs £1,000 a day to run

and it's still freezing in winter.

Improving heating and insulation will cut costs and make it cosier.

Just look at these wonderful people.

Even the bosses are getting stuck in. How do you spot them?

Look at their hands.

They are almost as soft as mine.

-How many years since you've been on tools then?

-A long time.

Probably about 17 years. 17 years in an office.

You know, a special project like this

really does bring out the best in people.

Something very beautiful's just happened.

Tell us what it is then.

We needed 20 tonnes of rock to create a retaining wall.

We had no idea where to get it from. We had no money, we had no nothing.

I got a phone call from a man called Kevin.

Kevin, where are you, who are you?

You've just sent me 20 tonne of beautiful, beautiful rock.

It's not the rock that's beautiful - it's you, mate.

Thank you very much.

Quite right too.

You know, the help comes in all shapes and sizes.

Where should you be today?

-Holiday.

-That's dedication, isn't it?

-That's dedication. What can I say?

-Not a problem.

See, that's the sort of thing.

You don't know these people and they're all here for one cause.

It's brilliant. It's so nice.

Everywhere I look there are people going the extra mile.

-Shouldn't you be at home at the moment?

-I should be. Yes.

-Because?

-My wife's just gave birth.

-When?

-Yesterday, 12:43. A wee baby girl.

And here she is. Our youngest-ever visitor to DIY SOS.

Look at you and your little face. Look. All excited.

Do you know what? She should be very proud of her dad.

All these people are doing their bit because they know and you have seen

how much this place means to the parents and children that use it.

It's a place supported by Children In Need and you too can help.

There are still thousands of children across the UK

who have nowhere to go for their basic needs.

To help support projects like this,

please text the word DIYSOS to 70705.

Text messages will cost £5 plus your standard network charge

and £5 will go to Children In Need.

For full terms and conditions visit bbc.co.uk/pudsey.

Thank you.

Your money really will make a difference

and I know times are tough but, if you can, give a little bit now.

ALL: Thank you.

ALL: Thank you.

ALL: Thank you.

When it comes down to it, every build needs just four things -

labour, equipment, materials and fuel.

All right, cake.

A little bit of Scottish fudge.

Swing renovator Dave's wife, Jane, brought us the cake.

That's brilliant. Thank you very much.

-Can we borrow him for a little bit longer?

-Definitely.

-Excited?

Very excited. Can't wait. Can't wait. We spend most of our life here so...

-Do you really?

-Yeah, yeah.

There's nowhere else we can go with our disabled children

to hang out so it's fantastic. We love it.

And be accepted as well, you know.

Because there is a lot of prejudice just now going about,

but in here there is nothing like that.

So what do you need in this place that you haven't got?

That kitchen was small, dirty, old. The kids are in there a lot.

Baking's a big thing on a Friday afternoon so, yeah,

it'd be fantastic if you could do something with the kitchen. Please.

If only she knew what's going on in that kitchen already.

It's going to be everything they need. But why is a kitchen so important?

Hello, Lauren.

'I'm hoping Lauren and Monica will be able to enlighten me.

'After she's finished wearing me out.'

-It's difficult when she keeps slapping me. Ah, no.

-Ha-ha.

You're very good at this, aren't you?

So, it's nice to be here on the trampoline at home.

It's good to play games at home,

but do you look forward to going and seeing your friends at The Yard?

Yeah, I do.

Who is your best friend, do you think?

Sissy and Sidney...and Amy.

What sort of things happen at The Yard?

-We bake cakes.

-Cakes?

-Yes.

-Do you really?

-Yeah.

Is it your favourite place? You think?

-Yeah. I think so.

-Yeah.

You know, we all know why the kitchen has an important place.

It's obvious, really.

Everybody uses the kitchen.

It's the hub of the home, isn't it?

-And it's a place that we all...

-Can I ask you?

You used the expression, "It's the hub of the home."

-Is it a home?

-Yes, it is.

-Like a house?

-Like somewhere where a family lives?

-Yeah. That's exactly what it is.

And that's what it is to our children as well.

On the big build, we are normally working for one family,

trying to make their house into more of a home that works for them

and we thought we were coming to do something very different here,

a community space, but it has become very apparent

that this is, in a very real sense, a home for the people that use it.

It's a family. A very big family, but a family nonetheless.

And that's why it's so important this home is cosy and warm,

the kitchen is big enough for the whole family

and the garden has plenty of places to play and explore.

Saturday morning. Fantastic.

I thought it would maybe quieten down a wee bit,

but it's actually getting busier. It's incredible.

There's more people, there's more painters, more electricians,

more ground workers.

I thought people were supposed to take it easy at the weekend, but no!

-How many of you have turned up?

-About 40 of us.

So there's four more painters on top of what we had already.

That's what I'm saying - there's just more and more people

turning up on the job. Fantastic. Thank you, gentlemen.

-No problem.

-And that means the pressure is on Chris.

He is being chased by a whole team of kitchen fitters.

I'm not worried about them. There's only nine of them.

No, no, no. They're cool. They're making up bits and bobs over there

so we'll get this flattened in

and then we can just push it against the wall and they can carry on so...

I did say 10 o'clock so we'll be all right.

Yeah, we'll be all right.

Is he convincing himself or us?

Outside, we must be winning.

We're almost halfway through and Jules has stopped rubbing his face.

The guys have really pulled it out the bag -

they've got stuck into it and cracked it out.

And I've been stress-free for the last couple of days

because you can sort of see the light at the end of the tunnel.

-Up!

-Whoa.

But your bunch are pretty much unstoppable, aren't they?

They came with an open mind, they're flexible,

they like a fresh challenge and what's been great is they have

got gelled in with everybody else, so it's been fantastic. Really good.

I don't think Jock will have ever been described

as flexible before, when you look at the shape of the man.

Definitely, yeah, that's right.

Flexible or not, he has impressed Gabby with his design.

When you leave for art college, you get given a lovely scarf

and you can't ever take it off. It's a designer thing.

Tell me it's pink. Tell me you've got him a pink scarf.

-Ooh.

-I've gone chunky on the knitwear,

it's chunky knit but there is a little bit of pink in it.

But only a small bit. There's some blue for his eyes.

-Wear it with pride.

-Red, surely. Red for his eyes.

From a man mountain to the smallest man on site, but which one is it?

I'm trying to work out who the tall one is.

-Well, it's certainly not you.

-I'll tell you what, you can talk.

Get the line here, let's have wee look then.

The only way to do it really is...

Have you got a level? Oh, hold on.

Hold on!

Aye.

There you go, officially the smallest man on site

and available for pantomime if you're doing Snow White and the...

OK, let's leave it. While we're doing this, the families

and staff of the yard have had to move to temporary accommodation

in a nearby school, so we've made time to go and visit.

Blimey, you're a lot better than me.

-Ah!

-Nutmeg!

The sense of togetherness here, of family,

-is quickly apparent to us all.

-MAN LAUGHS

The yard takes a total hammering every day.

A wooden piano and an organ. Two.

It's here that Sissy finally talks to me.

-What's your favourite part of the yard?

-The climbing structure.

Oh, is it? The climbing structures? All right, cool.

This is where I can see for myself

some of the problems these families have to deal with.

Gillian, for example, has to watch out for Erin's safety,

even when she's playing with her brother.

She gets flung around. See? Your go now, Erin.

-There is a degree of physicality involved.

-Uh-uh.

And just no sense of anybody else's speech or words. So it is. 6.2.

-So I'm still in the lead?

-Yes, you're still in the lead.

-Yes, totally. Unfortunately Erin gets a lot of it.

-Yes.

So she does.

He just isn't aware that he's going to do things.

-And sometimes it's funny, and sometimes it's not.

-Yeah!

-No, I can see that, yeah.

-Erin doesn't like the doggie.

Oh!

-See?

-Yeah.

-Right.

-You must be worn out at the end of the day.

It is really exhausting. You don't get a minute.

You cannot wash the dishes.

You can't, there's a lot of things you can't do.

It's gotten better, but really it is hard to have a conversation.

It kind of is, no, I can see that.

So that half an hour or hour at the yard where you can sit there

and have a cup of coffee and a chat with someone.

That's exactly it. Careful now. Careful now.

It's so intense I can see the problems Gillian faces

with Jamie's play dates. The yard is obviously vital for him.

And our build will help them. Scenes like this make it crystal clear

why they need a safe area for the under fives.

The more we can give them, the better.

We may be only halfway through now,

but we're more determined than ever to get the build right.

We've met the children and the people,

the helpers and everything, and they're fabulous.

-They're very special.

-They all want gold medals, like Olympians.

Honestly, the helpers, they're phenomenal.

We've just been to meet them and they are like...

-Special, aren't they?

-Unbelievable.

-You're going to cry, you.

-Yeah.

It's hard enough normal kids trying to bring them up,

but when they need that extra special help

it's brilliant.

So, if you want to help projects like this...

Please text the word DIYSOS to 70705.

# People help the people... #

Text messages will cost five pounds plus your standard

network charge, and five pounds will go to Children In Need.

For full terms and conditions, visit bbc.co.uk/pudsey.

And your money really does matter.

So if you can, please text now.

-BOTH:

-Thank you.

They weren't reading from the script at all(!)

Next morning, across the other side of Scotland in Glasgow,

a water feature is being crafted by guys

who normally deal in heavy industry.

Oh, look at this.

-Fantastic. Nice bit of kit.

-It's wonderful actually,

you did this off that little pencil drawing from Gabriel?

It's usually the back of a fag packet, we call it.

-But it was a wee bit better than that.

-This is marvellous.

It's not the norm, not what we usually do.

That's the thing, I know what you usually do,

but tell everyone what you normally do.

We usually build warships.

-That's our day job.

-Look.

-Usually the warships are grey,

we're sick of grey so we tried to brighten it up a bit.

Do you know, I've had a thought. Isn't it marvellous?

We're building this colourful centre for the kids

and so far we've painted everything grey, and the only bit we've got

so far that isn't grey is the bit built by the guys who make warships

who normally paint everything that colour.

That's fantastic, lads. That's amazing.

'You've got to love that, haven't you?

'The children will unleash a riot of colour in the art room.

'They love to let their imagination run riot.'

This is the art room,

and this is the lovely lady who's supplied us with...

Well, your company, has supplied us with all the kitchen units to go in this room.

You're like a little hobbit down there!

-You all right?

-I'm good, yes.

-Enjoying yourself?

-Great. Great.

Predominantly blokes on site, and you've been around doing a bit

of this and that and sweeping, you've been here all the time. You're in for the next few days.

Absolutely. It's been fabulous. It is a bit of fun, laughter.

I can't grumble.

They've all been perfect gentlemen to me as well,

-so sometimes when they've had little swearing fits...

-Even him?

-Yeah.

-Very impressive.

-I love them.

-They're very good, aren't they?

-I love them.

-Can't all stand about all day drinking tea and coffee.

What does he mean?

BUILDERS LAUGH

I'm speechless. Actually, I'm not.

I can't believe what people have given up, what they've donated,

the hours they've worked to make this happen.

Thanks for all your company's done. You've helped us massively.

It's hurt him, and it hurts me that we can't give each and every one

of them a programme of their own, but this is our thank you to you. You know who you are.

And with just three days to go, there are still new structures

going up in the garden. This is a geodesic dome -

whatever that means.

What does geodesic mean?

We keep using the term and none of us know what it means.

A geodesic dome is basically...

The structure is made out of hexagons and pentagons

in the triangle from, so it makes it a stronger structure

basically that encloses space.

So these can withstand hurricane-force winds.

It was designed originally by a guy called Buckminster Fuller.

Who calls their child Buckminster? Who wants their baby...

-He's American.

-Ah, that explains it, fair enough.

This will provide shelter outdoors from the tropical Scottish weather.

Listen carefully. Remember all that grey I ranted on about?

I'm about to eat some humble pie and agree with Gabby. I know.

-And you were right about the grey, I'll admit it now.

-It's amazing.

I knew I was right about the grey, but thank you for agreeing.

-A little bit smug, that look.

-I am quite smug about it.

I was smug beforehand because I knew it was going to work,

you just really annoyed me with all the shouting.

No, I don't think shouting's fair, is it?

OK, booming at close range.

'Yeah, OK, that's fairer.

-'I find designers so hard to read, whereas Mark...'

-All right, team!

-Yeah!

-Tell me all about it, the black gold.

The black gold!

Oh, my goodness, it's like heaven. Oh, my God, can you see the steam?

Everyone loves these cycleways so much, now they'll be pothole

and crack-free for years to come.

-Archie, give us a kiss.

-Aw...

You can't kiss a builder!

They can tell we're nearing the end as rooms start to be completed.

Inside, we now have an amazing sensory room which is really important for the kids. And us.

And what are the key features when you're making a sensory room?

We're trying to make it as calming as possible and also interactive

so that children can decide what they want the room to do.

-Why are you holding the block?

-This is a talking cube.

So this is red at the moment so that's why we're talking red,

but this is really clever, watch this. Ready?

-PA:

-Green.

-The whole room, it changes all the items in the room.

-Can I have a go?

Have a go, knock yourself out.

-PA:

-Yellow. Blue.

-Absolutely everything will change at the same time.

-Yellow.

-Wow.

'This can keep us amused for hours.'

That is cool. It's not working.

We've just discovered there's something not working in here,

and it's the main light switch that he put in.

THEY ALL LAUGH

Some things never change, but outside, everything has changed.

What an extraordinary thing you've pulled together. There are people delivering tarmac

and putting it down, people delivering sand...

There's people still building stuff all over the place.

It is like standing in the middle of a human ant hill.

It is like an ant hill, isn't it?

Hey!

Never, ever seen so many barrels on one job.

-HIGH-PITCHED VOICE:

-That's the way you do it!

'I think they're all going slightly mad.'

Ahhhhh....

Ahhhh.

'Yep, lost it.'

Maaaaa...

Hi-ho!

The mania is definitely setting in now, man. I tell you.

BUILDER WHINES He's the cream in the cake, that one.

That's the same. Ahhhhhh.

So it's getting there. They're not quite in tune.

My last measurements...

This is Saul, who is completely mad, by the way.

He's come all the way from London with some flip-flops to make

a musical sculpture for us, and I've made him work with Jock,

which is just a perfect combination, I think. What else are you going

-to do for us over there?

-I'm going to put in two music mushrooms,

which I make out of old recycled cylinders.

And they're all tuned to different moods,

like happy and another one is sort of mysterious or spooky.

So what does a happy mushroom sound like as opposed to a mysterious,

-spooky mushroom?

-A happy mushroom makes you do this.

And a spooky mushroom makes you do this.

That's brilliant. I'll leave you to it.

-Whatever it is you're doing, it looks awesome.

-Thanks.

-I can't wait to see the mysterious mushroom.

-Thank you very much.

-All right, darling. Mad.

-Completely different planet, when you think about it.

-Ma-ba-ba-baa. It's all a bit sharp.

It's the last day, how can you tell?

You know you're getting close to the end

when all the old fluffy stuff starts turning up, eh?

Lovely things coming through.

And it's time for Jock's moment of glory.

That's for you, darling, but you have to wear it. Promise?

It's exactly the right colour for your eyes.

-Look, you've got to wear it like this.

-I'm dead embarrassed.

THEY ALL LAUGH

You've got to fold it in half round there.

BUILDERS LAUGH AND CLAP

-So lovely.

-Thank you.

-It really suits you. You see?

'It's all very well, but he's got to carry on living and working round here once we've gone.

'I do worry sometimes.'

Going back to the office and explaining yourself,

-how have you been describing it?

-Well, it's much more frantic

and chaotic than it comes across on the telly, but there's just

so much work to get done in such a short space of time.

I'm sorry, we'll have to interrupt this interview.

I'm really sorry about this, but we've run out of tar again.

Can you make another phone call?

'This is the last thing we need.'

You all right for that? It's a bit last minute.

I'm going to go get the number, absolutely. Have you got the number?

Look at that. Not even a 'maybe'.

Not even, "Flipping heck, you'd be pushing it now."

Just 'yes'. Just 'yes'.

It's one tiny patch, right by the door.

But, you know what, I'm not even going to worry about it.

They say they can do it, so I believe them.

They'll get it done somehow.

Just nine days ago we took on a building

threatening the security of this extended family.

Cold, battered and cramped. It was a lead weight dragging everyone down.

Now...

Thanks to the efforts of around 300 local and not-so-local builders,

it's a place fit for a family of any size.

The hall has been completely refurbished.

A new floor, solar panels and renewed heating and insulation

will make sure this place is cosy and cheaper to run.

The windows even have a special lining

that reflects heat back into the building.

The under fives have a safe place to play,

where they can see and be seen.

The children now have a top-of-the-range sensory room

to chill and take time out.

The art room has been transformed

so that those imaginations can run riot once again.

The office has been moved, there's new wiring, lighting and fencing.

The old kitchen wall's been knocked through

to make the ultimate in luxury cooking spaces,

complete with wheelchair-friendly surfaces and units.

Everyone can take part.

New French windows lead to a new covered cafe area.

Respite can be luxurious too.

And that's just half the story.

Because, outside, the cycleways have been upgraded with new tarmac

and thousands of beautifully fitted bricks as edging.

New bikes will mean even more children and adults can have a go.

There are traffic lights, yes, traffic lights to play with.

The big swing has been renovated and now has feet

and a ramp to make it wheelchair friendly.

There's a brand-new Wendy house.

A dome adds another outdoor, all-weather play space.

With a climbing frame, sandpit, multicoloured water feature,

sensory garden and music garden, this place is a treasure trove,

waiting for explorers.

A fort, with rope features, provides a place to let off steam.

We've even got flagpoles. Are you getting the message?

There is so much!

At last, it's time for Gillian and her friends to have their home back.

-How important is this place to you?

-It's huge.

It's what keeps us all going. It's what keeps us all sane.

-It's what keeps our families together.

-It's a complete lifeline.

-OK. Are you ready?

-Yeah.

Open your eyes.

Oh, my God!

-I don't recognise the place, this is unbelievable!

-It's fantastic!

Oh, my God, it's amazing!

He's going to be in heaven.

They're all going to be in heaven.

-This is great.

-I can't believe it.

I can't believe it.

The place has been insulated, the central heating system has been changed and doubled up

to make it more efficient, so it doesn't cost so much to run.

There's a new screen been put in above it to keep the heat in

and stop it going out the dome.

From that point of view, it's going to be cheaper to run.

-That's fantastic.

-But it's warmer, at the same time.

It is, it's glorious. Absolutely glorious.

It looks, as well, like it's for children.

It's for them, they're going to come in and go, "This is for me."

-They know it's for them.

-For the wee ones.

She's going to be in heaven.

We decided to separate off, for the little ones,

just so they aren't being run into by the big ones.

She needs to be able to see me, that was the problem before.

She was in a different room. She needs to be able to see me

and know I'm still here, I haven't abandoned her or anything.

When we came to see you in the school the other day,

when you were trying to manage Jamie

basically not killing his little sister accidentally,

we could see that, so we knew that you had to be able to see them.

But, also, that we needed that little separation.

That's the sensory room, there. Do you want to see the sensory room?

Yes, please.

-This is great.

-Oh, my goodness.

At the moment, the room is currently blue.

But, if you wanted to change it, you could.

-That did that?!

-No?

-PA:

-Green. Orange.

-This is just out of this world.

-It is absolutely beautiful.

I never expected it to be so fantastic.

-OK, what shall we see next? The art room?

-Yes, OK.

-Oh, my goodness.

-Oh, my goodness!

This is bigger! Definitely bigger.

You'd think, wouldn't you? In fact, we kept it the same size.

But it was all a bit old and knackered,

so we ripped everything out and we've got brand-new units,

closable ones at that end, children accessible ones at this end.

So you can decide what is out for them to get themselves

and what you actually put away.

Obviously, a big space for them to play, easy to clean.

Low-level and high-level sinks, so the little ones can get at it, too.

That's fantastic. Erin used to sit on the chair.

She'll love it, absolutely love it.

She's just going to lose herself in here.

Did you make some beds? Because we'll be living here 24 hours a day.

Definitely.

You can imagine, with the storage, office space and other things,

we had to close down that little kitchen that you had.

We haven't been able to expand it very much.

It is just... It's a good one, but it's not...

Well, come and have a look. That's probably easier.

You are joking me! You're joking me! Look at this. Look at this!

Oh, my God!

It's like a posh house. It's a posh house.

-It is, exactly.

-I can't believe it, I actually can't believe it,

I can't take it in. It's beautiful.

Look, the sink's low so Erin will be able to wash her hands

without having to stand on the chair.

Is it real?!

Grill-microwave, this is a very high-end grill-microwave.

Oven for cooking. Freezer.

And fridge.

-Giant fridge.

-The size of it is fantastic.

I noticed that you noticed that this is low-level.

Of course, it depends on who's using it.

If I actually show you, there's a button here.

So you can change this to whatever height you need.

To suit whoever's using it.

Sink and hob, no matter what size, age or whatever you are.

That's incredible!

You then think it's frustrating cos you can't reach the top cupboards.

Only, interestingly, you actually can reach the top cupboards.

-It's like Doctor Who!

-That's unbelievable.

Oh, my goodness. They're going to love it.

This is not only for the children and young adults with disability,

this is very much, as you made very clear to me over the past few days,

respite area, where you can get just half an hour to take a breather.

Have a cup of coffee, sit and have a chat.

We've made use of the ugly little bit out the back, here.

So, if you come with me.

-Oh, my God.

-Oh, God.

-Oh, my God.

-It's lovely.

-Three seats, have yourself a seat.

-Civilisation!

How have we done so far?

-It's amazing.

-Couldn't have...

Never, never dreamed...

When we say it's amazing, it's amazing, we mean more!

It's just... This is just wow.

It's mind-blowing. I just can't put it into words.

My imagination couldn't reach this far.

And I've got one heck of an imagination!

Walk forward, please. Walk forward, walk forward.

Look up.

Oh, my goodness!

THEY ALL CHATTER EXCITEDLY

Oh, my goodness.

Oh, my goodness.

We've got a door!

Traffic lights!

-Let's go.

-Green man, safe to cross.

Come and have a look around. We're losing track of people.

Look, and there's a sign. What does that sign say?

HMS Pudsey, look. Magical.

-We could have discos outside, with a barbecue.

-Can you imagine?

Thank you, Jamie.

I can't thank you enough.

I can't thank everybody enough for this fantastic place.

We kind of knew that there were bits of it that were here already.

But it's just been improved...tremendously.

Tremendously. And he wants to be a lollipop man. So happy.

We knew stuff was happening, but...

And the thing is, The Yard's feel that it had,

its whole ethos and everything, you've kept it all.

Oh, it's just great.

-How do you feel about the people that did this?

-Just amazing.

They have to come back and let us show them how appreciative we are.

-Well, they'll be here soon.

-Oh, gosh! Are they coming in now?

It'd be good to see them.

And here they come, over 300 of them!

APPLAUSE

The staff that work here at The Yard have a reputation

for turning the mundane into the magical.

But this transformation, in less than ten days,

is truly, truly in the world of make-believe.

So, somewhere in there, I know there was lots of blood, sweat and tears,

but there must be a magic wand somewhere.

A lot of our children and young people have very complex needs

and what we try and do is make life more fun and more fulfilling

for each and every one of those families.

And we do that because we really care.

And I think what everybody here has proved is that you care, too.

For me, and all of my team, that is truly uplifting.

So, we truly, truly could not have wished for a more wonderful present.

So, thank you. Everybody has to cheer!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# My tears are dryin'

# My tears are dryin'... #

I asked one of the builders here the other day

who was in for several thousand pounds of his own money,

as well as his time, why he was so committed to this,

given that he didn't have any children that came here

and didn't even know anybody who came here.

He said, "Because for the next 10, 20 years, I'll be able to drive past

"this place and say, I had something to do with that."

And, of course, if you've ever given to Children In Need,

you've got something to do with this as well.

I mean, the people that have done the work here

for the last nine days have put more than generosity into this.

They've poured their hearts and souls into it.

Inspirational, isn't it?

# Thank you, thank you... #

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

To help support projects like this

please text the word DIYSOS to 7075.

Text messages will cost £5, plus your standard network charge

and £5 will go to Children In Need.

For full terms and conditions visit bbc.co.uk/pudsey. Thank you.

ALL: Thank you!

# While I'm worth

# My room on this earth

# I will be with you

# While the chief

# Puts sunshine on Leith... #

ALL: Thank you!