Jamie Thompson is a builder who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in October 2014, aged 45.

At the time Jamie was given just three years to live and has already surpassed doctors’ expectations, but he is currently wheelchair-bound and has limited use of his hands.

Jamie’s condition means he is confined to areas that his motorised wheelchair can access and is unable to use the garden at his home to spend time with his two-year-old son and two young daughters from a previous relationship, who visit regularly.

Band of Builders joined forces with the Lighthouse Charity, which offers financial assistance to construction workers, to help Jamie and his family by overhauling the garden at their home in Cradley, near Malvern, Worcestershire, so he could finally access it properly to spend precious time with his family outside.

While Jamie and Sarah stayed at a nearby hospice, volunteers from Band of Builders descended on the home to carry out the work over eight days.

The project saw around 30 tradesmen and women from across the country completely replace the kitchen at Jamie and Sarah’s home, as well as landscaping the garden to make accessible paths for Jamie’s wheelchair and a seating area where the family can spend time together.

The transformation was revealed to the couple in an emotional handover attended by the volunteers, Jamie and Sarah’s family and friends and neighbours from the village.

Sarah said, “What Band of Builders have done is nothing short of a miracle. This really is a new chapter for Jamie and us. Until now Jamie’s been virtually confined to one room. The changes that have been made thanks to this project means he can now get into the kitchen and out onto the decking. We might even be able to have a few evenings outside.”

“But almost more importantly, Jamie can actually get down into the garden to spend time with Ollie and the girls. Until now he’s had to watch from afar, but he can actually be with them now and make some happy memories.”

Kitchen Area - Previously the Kitchen area was not accessible to Jamie meaning that he was confined to 2 rooms of the house, making this accessible allows Jamie 2 points of access into the Garden to spend time together as a family.

Decked Area Extension - Extending the decking area allows Jamie to access areas of the house that he was no longer able to access as well as allowing Jamie to view the whole garden so that Ollie can play safely.

Garden Renovation - The garden renovation allows Jamie access to the garden and to play and spend time with his children in this area since his diagnosis and in particular Ollie for the first time.