A number of local businesses and people also joined in to help out
“There’s so much hope, it’s unbelievable,” the organiser of a ‘lifeline’ youth club in Beverley told thousands of BBC viewers who watched as the DIY SOS team built the organisation a new home in just eight days. Fiona Rainforth told an emotional Nick Knowles and a hoards of volunteers how they had “knocked it out of the park” with the project for Cherry Tree Youth Hub.
The club, which can attract up to 150 kids in Beverley, had struggled operating from a series of gazebos in the windswept Mudhills Park, until the BBC team got to work in May this year. The episode – broadcast on Tuesday (December 30) – showed how an army of volunteers including local tradespeople, major retailers and even TV gladiators pitched in to create the hub.
It took a “Herculean” effort to bring the build together, including the making of 18 timbers frames on site in just a matter days – a process that would normally take much longer in a factory. There was also more than 1,000m of cabling installed and despite facing the “massive issue” of connecting the hub up to nearby sewage pipes lying in neighbouring gardens, the job was finished on time.
DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles told how he had spent his early years on a similar estate as he revealed the gleaming hub to its organisers, who include youth worker Chloe, who had attended Cherry Tree herself. In the programme, she said: “I feel like it’s really important to give them a safe space. If they want to just be a child at the youth club, they can do that. I’m trying to get to a point where they can confide in you. If they have noone else to confide in, who do they go to.”
Chloe added: “I had quite a tough childhood – it was always about tip-toeing around the house and staying out of the way. Stepping into the youth club world, there was someone who could look after me.”
The hub – created using two shipping containers and a steel frame – now includes an open plan recreational area with a stage, toilets, a breakout room, a kitchen and sotrage. There is also an outdoor kitchen with pizza oven, a kitchen garden and gym equipment.
Lending a hand to the project were some of the stars of the TV show Gladiators, who put their muscles to use installing sewage pipes and shifting turf. Jodie Ounsley, who features in the series as Fury, said: “I can see how something like this would have a huge impact. I think for kids to have something like this, to have that opportunity, to bring them together and to get out of the house and meet new people, in the gym – it’s going to be unreal for them.”
Kitchen maker Wren, which is based at Barton, was among a number of organisations to support the effort. Its chief operating officer, Raf Klimek, said: “It’s been a privilege to support this project and help create a space that will make a genuine difference to young people in the local community. Having a permanent, well-equipped youth hub means Cherry Tree Youth Club can offer a safe, welcoming environment all year round, and we’re proud to have played a part in bringing that to life.”
Alison Pearson, Beverley store manager at Wickes, which also donated materials as well as manpower for the build, said: “I’m thrilled to have been involved in this project, joining forces with the community and other local Wickes stores. Probably one of the best things we’ve ever done. It was amazing to be part of something as incredible as that, and that’s what true community spirit is all about. Proper teamwork!”