DIY-SOS
Sending out Now in its 16th year, the BBC’s DIY SOS programme has transformed the homes of families across Britain, with help from friends, family and local tradespeople. But what is it like on the inside for the NICEIC and ELECSA contractors who give up their time? By Andrew Brister
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firm BBC favourite, DIY SOS is something of a British TV institution. Presented by Nick Knowles, the programme was first aired on 7 October 1999 and is still going strong, nearly 16 years later – something of a rarity in the fickle world of broadcasting. DIY SOS became DIY SOS: The Big Build in 2010. The show is now a one-hour programme in which the team enlists the help of local trades, suppliers and the wider community to help deserving families. The projects are ambitious and often involve major construction work, such as building a loft conversion or extension. Many electrical firms have given freely of their time over the years, working alongside the show’s resident electrician Billy Byrne. Of course, it doesn’t do any harm in terms of marketing and publicity to appear on the programme, but that is not the reason that most take part. It’s a chance to give something back to the community and deserving causes, even a bit of a relief from the cut-throat world of contracting and trying to get paid on time. We talk to a few of the firms that have made a difference in recent shows. 28
Live-Link Electrical Live-Link Electrical happily provided its expertise to the DIY SOS team to provide much-needed help to a family in Swansea. Fifteen-year-old Jack Morris was born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy, which has led to a lifetime of painful operations. As Jack got older, it became impossible for mum Helen to get him upstairs and he was forced to sleep in the living room of their small three-bedroom semi in Swansea. With no other social space in the house, Jack’s brother Daniel rarely brought his friends round and they were spending less time together as a family. “When we saw the house, with Jack’s hospital bed in the living room, we just had to get involved,” says Live-Link Electrical’s founder and director David Cole. So Nick Knowles and the BBC team, with designer Gabrielle Blackman, set about turning the house into somewhere for Jack to grow into a man with dignity. The revamped home includes a downstairs extension for Jack to have his own space, a beautiful garden and remodelled rooms for Helen and Daniel. The project included a full rewire of the existing property, wiring of the
‘Billy Byrne enjoys golf so we gave him a game and showed him Swansea’s fine landscape, and Nick Knowles kindly got the drinks in to say thank you’
Spring 2015 Connections
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