Band of Builders has teamed up with the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity to help transform the home and garden of a builder suffering from Motor Neurone Disease.
Jamie Thompson was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in October 2014, aged 45, and was told he had just three years to live.
The 49-year-old has already surpassed medics’ expectation but is now wheelchair-bound and has limited use of his hands.
Jamie’s condition means he is confined to areas that his motorised wheelchair can access which means he is unable to use the garden at his home in Malvern, Worcestershire, to spend time with his two-year-old son and two young daughters.
After hearing about his situation, Band of Builders and the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity have joined forces to help Jamie and his family with support from builders’ merchant Jewson.
The team plans to overhaul Jamie’s garden so he can finally access all of it and spend precious time with his family outside. Jewson will help fund the project by donating building materials that were won by Band of Builders’ founder Addam Smith, in the 2017 Building Better Communities competition.
Richard Patchesa, Trustee at Band of Builders, said: “Motor Neurone Disease is catastrophic for any family, but especially for someone whose career and life has revolved around physical and practical activity.
“A council-installed lift and decking area has made one small part of the garden accessible for Jamie, but it’s not an area where he can actually spend precious moments with his young children. The alteration we’re going to make to his garden, as well as to his house to make it safer will mean the whole family can enjoy what time they have in safe surroundings.”
Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Club Charity, added: “As well as supporting Jamie with his daily household costs we are delighted to be able to fund part of the Band of Builders project to help improve Jamie and his family’s life even more. By working together with other organisations, we can make sure that our construction families in need get all the possible support available to them.”
At least 40 volunteer tradespeople will gather at Jamie and Sarah’s home and work will include: landscaping the garden, adding a new French door and an extended decking area, removing the existing kitchen and replacing it with a new one and all ancillary works.
Jamie’s partner, Sarah Townsend, said: “We can’t begin to express our sheer excitement and gratitude about the up and coming project.
“Life is so different for Jamie these days and, consequently, for us as a family. We are now unable to go out to nice places and eat out together – two things we enjoyed more than anything prior to this awful, cruel disease taking its toll. Thanks to this project, Jamie will now be able to use his garden to its maximum, safely and contentedly, watching his children enjoy themselves outdoors – something he can at present only witness from the top decking area, or from the lounge window. We may even be able to enjoy a late summer BBQ or two.
“A new kitchen and more space within it and the flexibility to throw the doors open and eat outside as a family will mean that Jamie can maybe come and keep me company when I cook and we can talk about our day, which at present, we are unable to do.
“Whilst this horrible illness is going nowhere, we as a family now have something to look forward to and enjoy together long term, which will make Jamie’s time left with us all much happier.”
