DIY SOS begins work on new home for youth club

DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles said the difficulties faced by the Cherry Tree Youth Club had "taken him back to his childhood"

Hundreds of tradespeople have gathered to start work on a building for a homeless youth club, as part of the BBC programme DIY SOS.

The group of volunteers has eight days to transform a field In Beverley, East Yorkshire, into a new home for the Cherry Tree Youth Club, which has been without a permanent venue since the Covid pandemic.

Jo Ramsey, the manager of the club, told the BBC: "I still can't believe it. All these people have come together, it's surreal and fantastic."

Planning permission for the project, off Burden Road, was granted by East Riding of Yorkshire Council on Monday.

Cherry Tree engages with around 90 young people a week.

When complete, the single-storey building will feature a large communal area, toilets, a kitchen, meeting room and storage area. The plans also include an outdoor gym and cycle path.

Hundreds of tradespeople are involved in the project on land off Burton Road, Beverley

The volunteers have given their time or materials for free.

DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles said: "It's extraordinary, all these people turn up, we give them the plans and within an hour everyone knows what they're doing. It's a magical thing.

"We've set up a small factory in this field to make this happen. There must be 100 vans, catering tents, offices, it's like a circus that rolls into town."

The majority of people working on the site are from the Hull and East Yorkshire area, but Knowles said tradespeople from as far away as Devon and Sheffield were involved.

Emma Hulme, from Cheshire, owns a business called Builder Girl. She said: "I saw a shout-out about the job and thought it would be great.

"We drove over yesterday – the lads slept in the vans and we're ready for action today."

Rich Cropley and Emma Hulme are two of the tradespeople who have volunteered to work on the eight-day project

The Cherry Tree Youth Club was launched in 2016, but since the pandemic young people have been meeting in a gazebo in a park, while officials tried to find a permanent home.

Knowles said the struggles faced by the group had resonated with him. He recalled watching a video taken in the park showing youth workers handing out pizza to children in the rain.

He said: "It took me back to the place where I grew up and I knew I had to get involved.

"Some will say Beverley is posh, what are you doing there? There are two sides of the track, we're on the other side and there's an opportunity to direct young people in the right direction.

"If we can turn one kid's life around, give them something to eat or give them an ear to listen then it's worth doing the whole build.

"The fact it [the building] will look after hundreds, possibly thousands, of kids in the coming years makes it extra special."

The finished building is due to be unveiled on 22 May, with DIY SOS due to broadcast the story later this year.

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