Charity gets 'record-breaking' support to help boy

Teenager Toby lives with quadriplegic cerebral palsy and dystonia

A charity that supports construction workers and their families is about to embark on its next project to help a disabled boy, with a record number of tradespeople offering to help.

Band of Builders, based in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, will be helping Norfolk teenager Toby, 15, who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy and dystonia.

Renovation work to make Toby's home more suitable for his needs were started by his father, but he died on Christmas Eve. Dozens of trades have since put their names forward to help finish the work.

Charity operations director Tony Steel praised the support being offered. "The more people we've got, the more we can guarantee to get this over the line," he said.

Tony Steel said support from people in Norfolk had been "absolutely incredible"

The charity was started by Addam Smith in 2016 after one of his workers was diagnosed with an incurable cancer.

Since then it has helped many people with practical assistance such as providing home adaptations, financial grants and wellbeing support.

In its latest endeavour, the charity called for tradespeople to help with "Toby's project" in Foulden, near Swaffham.

It said the boy's father, Shaun Fletcher - an electrician - was doing renovations on his home that included building a wet room, so the 15-year-old did not have to be carried up and down the stairs.

Mr Steel added: "Unfortunately things became a little bit too much for him and he took his own life on Christmas Eve." He said the group's intention was to complete the work that was started.

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Shaun Fletcher had been working on adapting his home for son Toby but died on Christmas Eve

The charity regularly uses social media to call for tradespeople to help with its builds, but the response to Toby's Project had been "absolutely incredible" and "record-breaking" with about 150 applicants, Mr Steel said.

"The people in Norfolk have just been absolutely stunning, really, and within two days we had something like 130 volunteers apply to come and give us a hand to make this project work.

"Without them we wouldn't be able to do these sorts of things."