In 2018, following two years of investigations (in which he saw his health deteriorate rapidly) plasterer Chris Joy, was diagnosed at the age of 40-years-old, with a rare and life-long degenerative condition known as Cerebellur Ataxia.

Ataxia is the name given to a group of neurological conditions estimated to affect the balance, coordination and speech of 10,500 people in the UK. Whilst he received a blanket diagnosis, Chris' specific symptoms include loss of coordination, double vision, tinnitus, balance issues, speech issues and has meant that he is a wheelchair user 50% of the time.

However Ataxia is a progressive and while some forms of ataxia are treatable, for most cases there is still no cure.

Coordination and balance difficulties meant that Chris was unable to access his property unaided via the uneven driveway and pathway. Band of Builders helped Chris and his family by overhauling these external areas at their home in Norwich, so that he didn’t need to rely on his family for assistance and could therefore regain his independence.

Following the postponement of the project in March 2020 due to the outbreak of Covid-19, a team of volunteers from across the UK completed the project in October 2020.

The transformation took 9 days, with all the work undertaken by volunteer tradespeople using materials donated by the construction sector.

For more information or for material or financial donations please contact projects@bandofbuilders.org