Charleton Fencing Helps DIY SOS Family

13 Sep Charleton Fencing Helps DIY SOS Family

Charleton Fencing Offers Services To Help DIY SOS Deserving Family

Charleton fencing offered their services recently, to help a deserving family on the DIY SOS show.  The work took place in North Shields between Tuesday 7th and Thursday 16th August 2018. Where lots of volunteers decided to help Rachael and industrial electrician John and their 3 children rebuild their home. Their child Evelyn (3) has a rare genetic condition called CHARGE syndrome. This has many associated medical complications including chronic kidney failure, which requires her to be hooked up to a dialysis machine overnight. She is immobile, cannot sit unaided, is registered blind and requires 24-hour care.

When Evelyn was born she was immediately taken into intensive care after doctors discovered a hole in her heart. She needed surgery but became septic, resulting in her kidneys failing. Rachel her mother had to spend the entirety of her maternity leave in the hospital with Evelyn, forcing her apart from her other young daughters and husband John for the majority of the time. Evelyn has had to undergo many other hospital procedures since including major heart surgery.

Her condition means her older sisters Isabelle (10) and Anna (5) are also young carers, despite still being in primary school. Rachel had to give up work to become a full-time carer. Evelyn’s room is too small for her medical equipment and at present, they are unable to fit a hoist or adapted bed which she desperately needs. As she grows and develops she will require more space to accommodate her increasing medical difficulties and medical supplies.

The DIY SOS build

This was to build a single story extension at the rear of the property and convert the garage (under permitted development) into a bedroom and a separate bathroom for Evelyn. This will accommodate Evelyn’s equipment and provide a safe space for an adapted bed, hoist, dialysis equipment and a sensory area. Previously they were having to carry Evelyn upstairs which was causing back problems for Rachael.

The current room was too small for an adapted bed. With Evelyn moving downstairs, this allows Isabelle and Anna to have a bedroom as previously they were sharing. Evelyn cannot be left alone, so they require the downstairs to be a more open plan. They also required an increase in storage for Evelyn’s medical supplies, a shed had to be built in the garden which isn’t a permanent solution previously and it still did not give them enough space.  Furthermore, they needed a sterile preparation area for Evelyn’s medical needs, previously this was done in the kitchen and due to the lack of space she was changed on the dining room table. As Evelyn is susceptible to infections, they needed to improve the double glazing which causes problems in winter and to make the house generally warmer.

Charleton Fencing’s Involvement

We donated and erected approximately 33 metres of vertical board overlapped with capping which was 1.8 metres high with a soil board. The fencing was placed right around the garden we provided the services of 4 of our fencing contractors for 2.5 days free of charge to a deserving family from North Shields.  Featured on the BBC One series “DIY SOS: The Big Build to help transform their home.” We were very pleased to have helped the family transform their home.