Doing our bit for DIY SOS and Children in Need!
Turning a bus shelter into a charity HQ is a new one for us but we were happy to spare a few of our multi-skilled team to help with the transformation for BBC’s DIY SOS. The September project involved completely renovating the dilapidated former shelter to create a new eco-friendly headquarters for the South Wales Surfability charity as part of Children in Need 2020. Our boys joined Nick, Jules, Billy, Mark, Chris and a host of other volunteer trades in Caswell Bay on the Gower to do their bit for a great local cause.
A local institution, Surfability gives people with disabilities and learning difficulties the chance to get out into the waves and experience the joys of surfing. Although they’d managed to carry out their work from the old building, there were lots of problems, from frequent flooding to no electricity. So, the DIY SOS team and volunteers descended on the Caswell Bay site to create a state-of-the-art base that would help the charity function more efficiently and properly cater to users’ needs.
A difficult and complex build in the middle of a pandemic was definitely a challenge but one that everyone was up for. Our team got masked and up stuck in with the rest of the crew to create an extraordinary building that will change lives. Designed in the shape of a surfboard and using colours and materials that blend with the surrounding coastal landscape, the new facility is as beautiful as it is functional. It’s an achievement that will benefit not only the local community but allow people all over the UK to participate in adaptive surfing.
In what is a difficult time for everyone, it was amazing to see so many local trades giving up their time and coming together to give back to the community. A big thank you to the members of the Groom Property Maintenance team who went down, grafted hard and contributed to such a worthwhile project.
If you want to see the transformation (and hopefully spot the Groom crew in action) the episode of DIY SOS will air as part of BBC Children in Need Appeal week on Thursday, November 12, on BBC One.
