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DIY SOS complete childhood cancer charity build

Matt Weigoldin Northwich
Hear from the DIY SOS Project Manager, Ian Hodgkinson, and the volunteers who made the build possible

A team of about 500 tradespeople celebrated at the unveiling of an epic DIY SOS Children in Need project.

Nick Knowles, his team, and an army of volunteers built a 375m² extension to The Joshua Tree charity in just 12 days.

The new facility in Northwich means the charity can support twice as many families who are affected by childhood cancer.

"To have everybody here at the final reveal, you just realise the enormity of it all," beamed electrician Darren Stonier.

Moments before the unveiling, he said: "The kids turning up who are going to get the use out of this, even the biggest of guys will have a tear, without a doubt."

News imageThirteen men dressed in hard hats, yellow hi vis vests and workboots stand together on a worn grassy area. They all wear a variety of workwear suitable a building site. The man in the centre is wearing glasses, a purple hi vis vest and 'BILLY' is printed on his hard hat. The majority of them are holding disposable cups.
Darren Stonier (left) and DIY SOS regular Billy Bryne (centre) were part of a team of local electricians

Project Manager Ian Hodgkinson estimated that 500 people donated their skills and time to the Cheshire build.

Mr Stonier, from Sandbach, was one of those to lend a hand in his fifth DIY SOS project.

"Fegg Hayes was my first build back in 2022," he explained, "the morale, the team bond - it became addictive."

He described this latest build in Northwich as "brilliant" and said the speed at which they completed the ambitious task minimised the disruption to the charity.

"Every trade, every person who's volunteered, has made a sterling effort," he said.

Chief executive of The Joshua Tree Rich Driffield confirmed that the enormous extension would have a "massive impact" on the charity's work.

"It means we can support even more families, find even more activities for them, but also by putting accommodation in the new building, we can open up nationally," he said.

"It's just amazing. We're so grateful and it's very heart-warming."

News imageA man in a blue zipped jacket stands in front of a crowd people dressed in yellow hi vis vests and hard hats. His jacket is embroidered with a white logo of a tree with the words 'The Joshua Tree supporting families affected by childhood cancers.' They are stood outside on a worn grassy area surrounded by trees on a sunny day.
Rich Driffield, thanked the volunteers, some of whom he had seen working on site from 05:00 to 23:00 BST over the 12 days

Mr Driffield prepared himself for what he predicted would be a very emotional unveiling of the new facility.

"We've got an ethos where we support as many families as we can, so it's all about them," he said.

"It's emotional but it's amazing."

Filming of the team has taken place throughout the build and will be shown in a special Children in Need feature in November.

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