DIY SOS

Midwife Lindsey married ex-Royal Engineer Shaun in 2019. Lindsey had two children from a previous marriage and then had two boys with Shaun. In the summer of 2021, they began to extend their house, with a local builder working with them to put in the foundations, walls and roof, and to get the extension up to first fix. The plan was for Shaun to finish the build himself.

Several months after starting the build, Shaun fell ill. Initially, he had an operation on his kidneys and bowel, but within months he was struck down by an aggressive cancer and tragically died In November 2021. Lindsey and her four are devastated, and their grief is compounded by the fact that their home is currently uninhabitable.

But help is on hand as the DIY SOS team, along with designer Gabrielle Blackman and hundreds of local trades, volunteers and some of Shaun's old army buddies, step in to finish the job and get this lovely family back home.

Jordan Hutchison is an inspirational teenager. He has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, but this has not stopped him defying expectations and raising huge sums of money for charity. He currently lives with his parents, Jackie and Colin, and his siblings at his grandmother's house. He sleeps on an air bed, while the parents share rooms with the younger children. The family home is a shell after a series of building issues meant the family ran out of money with no way of finishing the work.

Dad Colin is Jordan's primary carer and has saved his life a number of times when Jordan suffered epileptic seizures in his sleep. Mum Jacqueline isn't physically strong enough to help Jordan and so works in a children's home, saving every penny to spend on finishing their home. Their current living situation and the financial stress of the unfinished build is taking its toll on the whole family, and Jacqueline recently collapsed.

Jordan is a growing lad with a very strong mind, and he just wants his independence, like any other young man his age, but he doesn't have the space or facilities in which to develop. The house needs extensive work before the family can move in. Hundreds of tradespeople and volunteers from Corby and across the UK have come to help the DIY SOS team and designer Gabrielle Omar create a house that will finally be a home.

Southmead Development Trust is a resident-led charity working to improve health, well-being and employment, and to help to keep the community strong, resilient and resourceful. The Trust recently took on the running of the Southmead adventure playground. Known locally as The Ranch, it was built by the community and has been loved and well-used by many generations of local residents. Unfortunately, the playground has fallen into disrepair, suffered from vandalism and is now unfit for purpose.

All that is about to change as Nick Knowles and the DIY SOS team galvanize volunteers and skilled tradespeople from the local community and across the UK to reinvigorate The Ranch for future generations. It's a huge project that involves creating a recording studio and a forest school to sit alongside an amazing adventure playground that will keep the kids happy for years to come.

Ex-fireman Gareth and his wife Mary live with their three children just north of Morpeth in Northumberland. Their 18-year-old daughter Bobbie has complex medical and mental health issues that require constant care. Mary has suffered a stroke and now has ongoing issues with her balance and needs help to look after Bobbie. Grandmother Carol helps out but now has to also looks after great-grandmother Doreen, who has early-stage dementia. This loving family rely heavily on each other but need a house that works for all of them.

Help is on hand as Nick Knowles, the DIY SOS team and top designer Gabrielle Blackman put out a call to local tradespeople and volunteers. Together they completely redesign the house, add an extension and create a home that works for everyone.

Sue's family have lived in Fegg Hayes, Stoke, for six generations. To help tackle issues of food poverty, isolation and mental health in the area, she set up a charity, Sylvester's. They have taken over a patch of wasteland in the heart of the community with the aim of creating a community centre and garden with room to grow vegetables and space where old and young can share knowledge and experiences.

Nick Knowles, the DIY SOS team and designer Sian Astley are determined to get the job done, and not even three of the worst storms to hit Britain in recent years is going to stop them. A straightforward build turns into a battle against the elements, but they are determined to help this community to help themselves.

Peter, a former car mechanic, is the primary carer for his family 24/7. His wife Sarah and daughter Suzanne are both suffering from myotonic dystrophy, a long-term genetic disorder that affects muscle function. Peter also looks after his elder brother Steve.

Peter started building an extension to adapt the house to everyone's growing needs, but the pressure of looking after his family and trying to complete the build has got too much. There just aren't enough hours in the day, and now his own health has taken a turn for the worse. He is unable to finish the build, and the family's future is in genuine jeopardy.
The DIY SOS team and hundreds of volunteers from near and far set to work, battling through stormy weather to finish what Peter started.

Tragedy has been a part of life for Caroline Blanchard and her children Reece and Paige. Caroline has twice had to make the heart-wrenching decision to turn off life support for people she loves, first in 2007 after her daughter Natasha suffered severe head injuries in an accident in their garage, and then four years later after husband Paul had a heart attack in their conservatory.

Now she, Reece and Paige have to live in the shadow of their grief: the garage and the conservatory where the two cruel tragedies occurred. But help is at hand. Nick Knowles and his band of volunteers, along with award-winning garden designer Arit Anderson, are on a mission to renovate the home, including demolishing the garage and conservatory so that Caroline can be free of the painful reminders and make a fresh start.