Tradespeople line up for ‘DIY SOS' to help Wicklow boy with cerebral palsy
In order to sign volunteers up to help with the build, a trades day was held from 11am to 4pm on Thursday at St Patrick's GAA Club, where local trades people could volunteer their services.
Orlagh Murphy, a senior producer with Indiepics, the production company behind the show, was pleased with the turnout on the day, while other tradespeople had already made a commitment to the project beforehand by email and phone.
'Everything is donated, right up to every cup of tea drank to every nail that is hammered,' she said.
'It fortifies a real sense of community spirit and we will have around 150 people on site during the build. We have had volunteers who were involved in the first series still giving us a hand whenever they can.
"Others loved the experience so much they try to volunteer at all of our build projects. As one contractor on a previous build said to me, 'you can't pay for people to work this hard'.'
She added: 'This is a very special project. We already had one man come in at the start of the trades day to tell us that he and his two brothers are all electricians and they are all volunteering.
"The show makes a huge impact on people and does genuinely change their lives. The Ferguson's are such a lovely family and are very well known in the area. Their neighbours have been very supportive, as has everyone living in their estate.'
Kyle uses a wheelchair, but the current layout of the family home means he is unable to use it indoors and must rely on tripods to get around.
He currently depends on his parents to support him up and down the stairs, which means he can only access the upstairs area at bedtime. The main bathroom still includes a standard bath, which is no longer suitable for his needs, and he requires daily support with dressing and personal care.
'There is a huge amount of preparation involved,' added Orlagh. 'For instance, there will be 150 people on site during the build, and they will all need to be fed three times a day. So the whole build will also involve local food outlets, and we will also need some people to serve the meals and to clear up afterwards.'
JJ Rhatigan are the contractors behind the project, while the interior designer will be Gwen Kenny.
'Gwen gets a brief from us and then also talks to the family so she can get a sense of what they want and are looking for,' added Orlagh.
Having met the family and Kyle to discuss their needs, Gwen was impressed by how modest Kyle's request were, and she said she has some big surprises in store for the Ferguson family, along with the rest of the DIY SOS team.
Gwen said: 'What Kyle wanted was so minimal. He was only really looking for things like an L-shaped desk, a couple of plants for his room and a different place to play his Xbox. He was also very keen for his wheelchair user friends to visit his house, because while he has visited their homes in the past, they have never been able to visit his home.
'We have some massive surprises in store for Kyle and the family, with loads of really good things planned.
"I have been blown away by everybody's generosity. People are coming in with their own ideas and the build team are amazing.
'I was at the site the other day when one of the neighbours came around with cakes for everyone, which I thought was such a lovely touch. Everyone is behind Kyle and the Ferguson family.'
The build commences on September 2, with works taking place over nine days, before the Ferguson family can return to their newly adapted home.
Orlagh said: 'The family get to briefly meet the volunteers on the first day of the build when they leave the house, and then get to properly meet all the volunteers once the build is complete.
"They always generally want to thank all of the volunteers individually. The volunteers often consist of a mix of strangers and family members, as well as people the family we are building for may see all the time, but who they had never been introduced to before.
'It can be a very emotional occasion as the family see the new build for the first time and get to thank all the volunteers, I know I'm always in tears.'
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