Mum takes part in DIY SOS project in son's memory

Claire Carrick, pictured with her husband Keith and son Noah, said she wanted to give something back to The Joshua Tree

A bereaved mother has said working on a DIY SOS project supported by BBC Children in Need was her way of giving back to the charity that helped her son before he died, aged four.

Claire Carrick's son Noah died in March 2018 after he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma – a rare form of cancer – when he was 16 months old.

During his shortened life, Noah and his family, from Congleton, Cheshire, were helped by charity The Joshua Tree, which supports families affected by childhood cancer.

"They gave us opportunities to go out and do things together as a family. After Noah passed away, they continued to support us with counselling," Mrs Carrick said.

"We knew from the beginning that it was going to be difficult to treat [Noah's illness] but The Joshua Tree supported us all the way through."

Earlier this year, Mrs Carrick was part of a team of volunteers who worked with DIY SOS to build an extension at the charity's base.

"Volunteering on this build was my way of saying thank you for everything they gave to us and giving something back to the next families who will unfortunately need their support," she said.

Claire Carrick, pictured with Pudsey, was part of a team of volunteers who worked on the project

Mrs Carrick, a senior clinician with University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, told BBC Radio Stoke Noah was an "absolutely incredible" child who was a "bundle of joy from the day he was born".

"We knew from the beginning that the prognosis wasn't great," she added, "but that little boy was diagnosed at 16 months old so he didn't really know anything different."

Noah went through multiple surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy during his life, Mrs Carrick said, and lost his hair on several occasions.

She said The Joshua Tree had helped them to have "family moments" by organising events, including a winter wonderland.

"They gave us such incredible memories that we could have made ourselves but it was that support that made us think we could definitely do things," she added.

Claire Carrick described her son Noah as a "bundle of joy since the day he was born"

Mrs Carrick was among hundreds of volunteers, tradespeople and the DIY SOS team, who built the 375m² extension at The Joshua Tree's building in Northwich, Cheshire, in just 12 days, completing the project in September.

The charity was able to secure support from BBC Children in Need for the build, which enabled the site to offer overnight accommodation for families.

"I have never been so tired in my life," Mrs Carrick said, "but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

"Fundraising is important, but physically helping means we've left something lasting. It's something I can return to and say 'I helped do that'."

The DIY SOS: The Big Build programme featuring The Joshua Tree will be broadcast on BBC One at 21:00 GMT on Thursday and will be included during the BBC Children in Need Appeal Night on Friday.