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DIY SOS - THE INSIDE STORY

If walls could talk few would speak as eloquently as the Carers’ Word Wall at Beaverbrooks House on Newton Drive, Blackpool.

It would probably say a huge thank you to the 872 businesses, individuals and organisations, mostly but not exclusively from the North West, who donated £905,575 of equipment, services, facilities and help in kind for DIY SOS Big Build for Children in Need - at Blackpool Carers’ Centre.

The wall, designed by Laurence Llewelyn Bowen, features young carers’ words in what’s become a haven for thousands of carers of all ages since BBC DIY SOS moved on.

Today – as another charity (Swansea’s Roots Foundation) prepares to step into the spotight with Nick Knowles and co on BBC One tonight (Wed Nov 15) in the run up to the big Children in Need night on Friday - Beaverbrooks House feels like home rather than an artfully arranged film set.

Last year Christmas come early to Blackpool Carers Centre.

DIY SOS descended in summer - twice. It was one of the first times the Big Build had to be extended because of the sheer scale of the challenge and other circumstances.

They knocked down, rebuilt, rewired, plastered, pointed, painted, planted, set a new world selfie record, consumed vast numbers of cakes, pies. pasties and bacon butties, drank lots of cuppas and transformed quality of life for young carers.

On Blackpool Carers’ own website there’s still a rollcall of honour to all those involved before, during and since.

The gift amounted to £905,275 in terms of help in kind from those 872 generous donors and workers.

It was unwrapped in front of 3.9m viewers of DIY SOS Big Build for Children in Need 2016 last November.

They watched, wept and donated £347,386.

Beaverbrooks House, named after the leading jewellery company’s own charitable trust which bestowed it upon the charity in 2015, was left mangled by metal thieves who moved in after the NHS (Blenheim House children’s service) relocated.

What had been a fully functional building was derelict.

TV’s award winning makeover crew worked their alchemy last summer - after being invited to convert the annexe. (The annexe itself has now become another story.)

Secretly, charity chiefs hoped the close-knit clan would be unable to resist the lure of the main building and grounds.

And so, it proved.

DIY SOS did the lot – bar the upper floor. When the crew moved out the charity – in order to move in – got cracking on providing offices for staff, IT, support facilities above.

Blackpool Big Build volunteers rallied to pleas on social media and were back plastering, painting, rewiring, even putting a suspended floor in the loft. Others dealt with the snag list.

A world of imagination

Fast forward to now - and Devon-based landscape architect Laurence Mitchell, Myerscough College and other volunteers continue to ‘grow’ the garden, tweaking, shaping and maintaining the grounds.

Inside and out, others play their part.

Now it’s time for Swansea based Roots Foundation which supports children in and coming out of care to step into the spotlight.

A year on, Blackpool Carers Centre couldn’t set a better example.

The legacy of light, love and laughter created by designer Llewelyn Bowen drew upon his own resilience in handling the ‘crushing anxiety’ felt in childhood at his mother’s long illness.

His world of imagination for young carers opened the door for thousands of adult carers too, parent carers, working carers, dementia support and ‘fresher’ carers, mental health carers, family focus carers, bereaved carers and more.

On Laurence’s Word Wall ‘Liam age 15’ writes: “I was glad to have someone to turn to and talk to.”

Liam Quinn, who’s 18 in a month’s time, went onto share the young carers’ champion role with Tara Bragg 22. Now both are apprentices with the charity.

“I’m an apprentice respite support worker,” says Liam. “I couldn’t be happier. I know how much the charity helped me. I felt so alone when mum was ill.”

Liam moved DIY SOS regular Chris Frediani to tears when they met at the charity’s youth club and talked of Liam’s late mum.

Today Rachel Lambert, 26, is winning recognition as the first young carers’ champion to come from the cared-for community.

Arguably the best paralympian that never was, opting to study photography at university rather than train for the Paralympics (she’s won gold medals in shooting), Rachel will lead on Young Carers Awareness Day (January) and help the civic-backed appeal for a respite lodge for young carers and dementia support carers.

This month she won the 96.5 Radio Wave Heroes in the Community Special Recognition award. Radio Wave was the driving force behind the campaign more than 12 years ago to actually form a charity for carers - of all ages - in town recognising the value of their unpaid contribution to society. It’s one heck of a legacy.

Mum’s happier now

Last year young carers spoke passionately on DIY SOS about putting the world to rights.

They are still getting on with their own lives. Some are still supported by the charity. Others are waiting assessment or reassessment. There have been 310 referrals this year. Some will join staff at Children in Need filming in Manchester on Friday.

Sisters Gracey and Tyanna Cartwright, now 11 and 12, left veteran presenter Nick Knowles uncharacteristically close to tears himself with their three wishes for sick people to get better, their mum not to be disabled and for world peace. No wishes for yourselves? he asked. “Other people need them more,” they replied.

They were stopped on the streets and in shops after the broadcast. “It was well embarrassing.”

One wish did come true. Whilst mum Suzanne will never be free of osteoporosis or the need for care she feels a lot ‘better’.

The former nurse now volunteers at the charity.

“Mum’s happier now,” the girls reveal. “She laughs more and has more friends.”

“I’d lost confidence,” Suzanne admits. “Pain does that to you. But it shouldn’t stop me helping others. I cried when I saw the girls on TV. They spoke from the heart.”

The legacy

The DIY SOS dividend is paying off in soaring referrals of carers of all ages.

4438 carers received support from the service this year. There were 1440 referrals – 310 of them for young and young adult carers, 1007 carers received one to one support and nearly 80 per cent reported an improvement in their caring role

There were 215 referrals of young carers (five to 16), 1267 one to one support sessions, 1225 youth club places provided, 46 respite trips, 199 young carers attended respite sessions

There were 95 referrals of young adult carers (16-25): 101 places at peer support group, 551 one to one support sessions, 239 places on respite trips

Two thousand adult carers (26 and over) accessed support, 991 referrals were received

106 of the charity’s 145 volunteers signed up this year. They help out in 12 roles across the charity from reception to Rocco’s Café (named after the charity’s mascot donkey)

National Marsh Trust Carer of the Year Rob Frowen now runs the ‘HUGS’ mental health peer support group. He hosts a fundraising football programme and memorabilia fair at Beaverbrooks House on February 4.

Adult carer Adam Simpson, who looks after wife Laura, won the Gazette’s Best of Heath Carer of the Year award this year.

Head of trustees Paul Jebb – a rising star of the NHS - has raised the profile of carers across NHS England.

Former young carers’ champion Camilla Ball, who helped present the charity’s case on TV with fellow worker Amy Gunniss, recently curated @NHS Twitter account to raise carer awareness.

“It was such a privilege,” she adds.

The Big One

The charity, now a beacon for carers across the UK, fittingly plans a Lantern Festival on Carers’ Rights night November 24 – after a day of awareness raising.

Last year Peterborough-based Little Miracles, which featured in an earlier Big Build for Children in Need, advised Blackpool Carers: “It’s going to be awesome - a rollercoaster.”

They were right. In a resort more than familiar with rollercoasters DIY SOS really did turn out to be The Big One…

Blackpool Carers Centre CEO Michelle Smith explains: “Since we moved into our new home there has been no looking back.

“Following the show last November referrals for carers desperately needing our support have increased.

“With growing awareness, local schools, health workers and other key agencies are identifying more and more carers to access the support that we provide.

“We owe DIY SOS a huge debt of gratitude. Our extended family has grown as a result of it.

“Our partnership working with local businesses and services has increased; more people now understand what carers do, and their resilience and tenacity.

“We’re providing more respite sessions, training and family activities than ever; it’s now a ‘one stop shop’ for carers of all ages.

“We’ve hosted many events in our beautiful house and gardens – the gardens are tended by a team of dedicated volunteers.

“We’ve had volunteers at Lytham Festival, the International Fireworks, Mayoral charity events and more.

“We have continued to receive support from local tradesmen and businesses to complete upstairs and help us maintain our wonderful building.

“We dedicated our annual fundraising ball to the army of volunteers who helped with the DIY SOS Big Build – the Purple Ball (named after the colour of the DIY SOS team shirts) raised £20k on the night.

“We can’t thank our funders enough. They help make all this happen.

“For every £1 spent on fundraising we return £10.55 - and 93 per cent of donations go directly to supporting carers.”

For news, what’s on or how to get involved visit http://www.blackpoolcarers.org

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jacqui Morley .