Lee Taverner laid his first brick at just 13 years old under the watchful eye of his dad, who was also a brickie. Upon leaving school, Lee worked with his dad for nigh on 30 years, until his dad retired and Lee continued in the trade.

When the global pandemic struck in 2020, Lee took the opportunity to do some work on his kitchen – only to find that his central heating boiler needed to be condemned and removed, along with the downstairs radiators, at his Leighton Buzzard home. He then caught COVID and was in a coma for three weeks with pneumonia.

He pulled through but returned to a home without heating or hot water. He went back to work but struggled and had frequent appointments with doctors because of breathing problems. Because he wasn’t bringing home the same level of income he was used to, the family have not been able to afford a new boiler – so they have lived without hot water or heating for three years.

Band of Builders have installed a new heating system so that Lee, fiancée Wendy and 12-year-old son Marshall can enjoy heating and hot water this Christmas.

Lee had always been in good health until he contracted COVID in 2020. Then he was hospitalised and went into a coma for three weeks as he battled pneumonia.

He’s a fighter and he pulled through – and although he returned to work, he hasn’t been the same since and has struggled with his breathing. The housebuilder that he worked with has been good about the fact that since having COVID, he’s had to have some time off.

Eighteen months ago, he was finally diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties that include emphysema (damage to the air sacs in the lungs) and chronic bronchitis (long-term inflammation of the airways).

The 54-year-old is now unable to work and requires oxygen at home.

A team of five volunteers from Band of Builders came together to install a new central heating system, which involved fitting a new boiler and fitting new radiators throughout the house and a heated towel rail in the bathroom.

In a 12-hour stint, the volunteers installed the boiler and the radiators - which were generously supplied by Wolseley Group – and they managed to dodge the radio interview and filming by a reporter from ITV Anglia.

Read the full story here.