DIY SOS going out for some helping hands in Longwood

‘DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland’ – the television show that changes people’s homes and lives - is coming to Meath and is looking for help!

The Parsons family in Longwood will be the first deserving family to be helped in the second series of the RTÉ One programme.

Producers are now desperately looking for people to volunteer to help this deserving family by donating their time, skills and building materials to help make their house a home again. They will be holding a trades and suppliers day at Longwood GAA Club for volunteers today (Thursday 13th of May).

The nine-day build will be taking place at the Parsons home from 8th to 17th June this year.

The Parsons family – Glen, Jenn and their two boys Ryan and Josh - live in Brackinrainey Manor in Longwood. There are three members of this young family with additional needs and their small semi-detached home is no longer practical or functional.

“We are so excited to have DIY SOS coming to Longwood in Meath in June 2021 after Covid put paid to our plans in 2020, and to finally help Jenn and Glen Parsons and their boys,” says presenter, Baz Ashmawy.

“They are so deserving of all this support from the communities around Meath and further afield. We desperately need people to come forward and give your time and skills – I promise you it will be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life!”

In each programme, Baz and his team set out to renovate the homes of deserving families, changing their lives forever - but with only nine days to transform each home, and depending on the generosity of hundreds of volunteer trades and supplier donations - the pressure will be truly on!

Mum Jen (37), initially applied to DIY SOS looking for help for her youngest son Josh (6) who - after years of investigation- was diagnosed with Smith-Magennis Syndrome, a severe developmental disorder that affects many parts of the body.

Josh is non-verbal, peg-fed and is in a wheelchair; he is unable to walk, crawl or sit unaided. Josh’s older brother Ryan (9,) has autism, so has sensory requirements and also needs his space and quiet time, which is difficult for him to get in the current house layout.

Jen also has multiple health issues which are getting increasingly debilitating and affecting her mobility. In fact, her health issues coupled with the demanding schedule trying to care for the boys while husband Glen (39), was at work, resulted in the family making the difficult decision that Glen would retire from his 21-year career with the Defence Forces to be at home full-time and help care for his young family.

Jen was born with a rare condition called Cloves Syndrome – a rare degenerative disease. She also has severe scoliosis which affects her carrying the children – and walking up and down the stairs is particularly precarious. Jen also has Perthes Disease, which means her hips haven’t developed since youth and she now has arthritis. She is on a waiting list to have a double hip replacement, but her doctors are concerned that it actually won’t be possible to operate on both because of all her vascular issues and the risk of severe bleeding.

If they can’t operate, Jen has been told that she may end up as a wheelchair user.

Due to the combination of Jen’s conditions, it is becoming increasingly difficult and painful for her to carry Josh and move him around the house. She is in constant pain, though she never complains.

Josh also does not sleep much at night, so Jen currently sleeps on a mattress on his bedroom floor.

The family have no idea what lies ahead for them, but they are preparing themselves for the very real possibility of Jen also ending up in a wheelchair in the next few years, meaning they potentially will have two wheelchair users in their semi-detached home.

The DIY SOS Build team are hopeful that some big changes to the Parsons home will allow this lovely family a little more ease in facing significant every day and future challenges.

As a series, DIY SOS is famous for bringing out the very best in people – in every episode an army of volunteer builders, labourers, tradespeople, suppliers, friends and neighbours come together giving their time, labour and materials to help a local family whose lives have been impacted by a significant loss or misfortune.

Anne McLoughlin, Executive Producer for Motive Television, says: “DIY SOS is a hugely rewarding format to produce for RTÉ One. “We have been bowled over by the tsunami of goodwill from families, tradespeople, suppliers, volunteers and communities in our builds so far.”

The series is being produced by Motive Television and is due to air on RTÉ Television in November 2021.

Builders and tradespeople can pledge as many days as they wish to the build.

You can register your interest and support before today's Trades and Suppliers Day by contacting DIYSOSmeath@motive.ie or 0830139827 with your name, skillset/donation and your phone number.

To complete the build they need furniture removers, boarders and plasterers, cranes, stained glass suppliers, storage, builders, groundworks team, landscapers/gardeners, blocklayers, demolition professionals, carpenters – 1st and 2nd fix skilled joiners, plumbers general labourers, painters and decorators, building and plumbing merchants, waste management/skip facility, plant hire,flooring suppliers, homewares and furniture suppliers, garden and landscape suppliers, donations of ancillary materials, external lighting, tilers/roofers, ticketed machine drivers and scaffold suppliers as well as traffic management and catering support.