Builders transform family home for man with cancer

A father who has cancer of the spine has thanked a charity and volunteers after they finished his family home in two weeks.

Jay House contacted Band of Builders, a charity based in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, after he was unable to finish an extension on his property in Ipswich after being diagnosed with cancer.

The 49-year-old, who worked in the construction industry, and his family lived in their home for 18 months with a makeshift kitchen unit on wheels, an air fryer, portable hob, washing machine, dishwasher and no sink.

"It is absolutely fantastic and has just lifted a dark cloud off of all of us in the family," he said.

"It is just going to make life so much easier and make every day a joy to come downstairs as before it was just a full-on building site."

About 10 years ago, Jay had to have his right leg amputated below the knee after damaging his ankle.

He later suffered with back pain and was diagnosed with multiple myeloma which caused ten vertebrae to fracture and fuse, resulting in his spine collapsing.

He underwent a combination of chemotherapy and stem cell treatment for the cancer.

He reached out to the charity, which supports tradespeople, construction workers and their families across the UK, after seeing a previous project they completed.

"They have done such a fantastic job in such a small space of time... and made it something great to live in and made it a family home again.

"It is mind blowing."

The project's manager, Kent Taylor, travelled from County Durham to complete the project alongside volunteers.

Taylor, who has been a tradesman for 34 years and worked with the charity since the start, said the project was "pretty immense".

"Every room of the house was back to bare brick.

"It is a great feeling for me and the volunteers knowing that we are going to make Jay and his family's lives much smoother."

Gavin Crane, chief executive of Band of Builders, said the project was the charity's 50th one and the second in Ipswich.

The charity was set up in 2016 and has delivered a value of projects nearly equivalent to £2m.

"I am really proud of the team of volunteers who have stepped up, given their time and skill, and to get Jay's home back to one piece."

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