Band of Builders completes project for teenager with rare incurable disease
Posted by: electime 24th October 2025
A teenager from Rotherham with an incurable disease has spoken of her joy at setting foot in the garden of her home for the first time ever after volunteers from a national construction charity turned what was an overgrown jungle into a safe sensory space in just 15 days.
Stevie Taylor was joined by the rest of her family in thanking the volunteers from Band of Builders (BoB) who answered a cry for help from her dad Paul, as the charity completes practical projects to help members of the UK construction industry and their families who are battling illness or injury.
Video of before Band of Builders set to work
The 15-year-old – who turns 16 at the end of the month – was diagnosed with Batten disease at the age of eight. The life-limiting degenerative condition, which affects fewer than 200 children and young people in the UK, causes the nervous system to deteriorate and can lead to seizures, blindness and childhood dementia. She has already succumbed to blindness and her condition is noticeably deteriorating, with her memory and speech affected. She is also now finding it difficult to swallow.
The garden had been a no-go area since the family moved to the house in Melton Green two years ago – because it was both wildly overgrown and full of old building materials from when the roof of the house had to be completely replaced.
Along with her dad Paul, mum Karen and younger sister Jasmine, Stevie said thank you to the half dozen volunteers as she explored the garden for the first time – which features block paving walkways and raised borders so she can navigate the garden using her cane.
Karen said: “This garden gives Stevie greater independence because she isn’t trapped indoors. She can now get out and fully explore all the features of the garden, including the raised flower and planted beds.
“We are just so grateful to the guys from Band of Builders who volunteered their time and have worked tirelessly to transform a space that will change all of our lives.”
Stevie’s story
Stevie was diagnosed with Batten disease at the age of eight, after teachers noticed she was struggling to see in class. It’s a life-limiting degenerative condition that affects fewer than 200 children and young people in the UK, causes the nervous system to deteriorate and can lead to seizures, blindness and childhood dementia.
The next stage is likely to see her suffer fits, and her family feel this isn’t too far away, as Stevie has started to involuntarily shake/twitch. She and her sister are unaware of the outcome of her diagnosis, so her family are keen to ensure they can enjoy as much time together as possible.
In a bid to give Stevie the best quality of life, the family sold everything (including their home) and remortgaged to buy a bungalow adapted for her deteriorating health.
Paul started trying to create a home to meet his daughter’s long-term needs, but costs quickly spiralled as they uncovered unforeseen work that completely swallowed up their budget, leaving the family, including Stevie’s sister Jasmine, aged nine, with an unusable garden and a building site for a home.
The former gas fitter – who has shifted his work to write gas certificates so he can look after Stevie and had previously volunteered and worked on a DIY SOS project – appealed for help from the construction community. In late 2023, volunteer tradespeople rallied around to make the property safer and accessible.
BoB completes project 47
This is the 47th project completed by the charity – which, as well as completing practical projects for members of the construction industry, offers wellbeing support, including a text service (text BOB to 85258), and financial help.
The completed garden is in two main sections: the top half has new blocked paving walkways and an area where the family can install dining furniture. The lower garden is a safe woodland space with even and compacted ground so Stevie can experience lots of different sensations, including a pond.
Tony Steel, Operations Director at BoB, said: “It’s amazing that the construction community had already rallied around Stevie’s family to get them to where they were, and it was a real privilege for us at Band of Builders to be able to help finish the project and give Stevie an early birthday present so that she and her sister can have a safe place to enjoy the garden.”
The project was sponsored by Tarmac Blue Circle and its Packed Products Director Garry Gregory said: “It’s been a real honour for Tarmac Blue Circle to support the transformation of Stevie’s garden alongside Band of Builders. Thanks to the kindness, dedication and expertise of the volunteers, we’ve been able to create something that will make a genuine difference to Stevie and her family. Collaboration sits at the heart of our industry, and this project is a shining example of how, when we come together and pool our skills and resources, we can achieve something truly special.”
BoB also wishes to thank:
- Jewson Rotherham for a range of materials and Tool Hire
- Reconomy Trade for skips and waste
- Pagets Building Materials for supporting on crushed MOT
- Talasey for Pioneer decking Aragorn porcelain paving for the patio area.
- Marshalls for their Block paving and kerbs
- Rhinox for the riddle bucket
- Markham Grange garden centre for the range of sensory plants; and
- Westville Snacks for keeping the volunteers fed and also the local community for dropping in baked goods and contributing to the food
About Band of Builders
Band of Builders was born in 2016 when our founder took to social media to ask for help renovating the home of close friend and colleague Keith Ellick – who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The incredible response from tradespeople across the UK saw the project completed and demonstrated what can be achieved when the industry stands together.
It has grown to become a registered charity (charity number 1182283) that completes practical projects to help members of the UK construction industry who are battling illness or injury. For each project, volunteers come together to help their fellow tradespeople through renovations or repairs that make a real difference to their lives.
In September 2023, Band of Builders won Corporate Partnership of the Year – Small (for its work with Jewson) and CEO Gavin Crane received the Rising Chief Executive Award at the prestigious Third Sector Awards. It also received two highly commended awards for Small Charity of the Year and Small Charity, Big Achiever. The following year, BoB’s Chair of the Board of Trustees Dave Seal was named the winner of the Charity Chair of the Year Award at the Third Sector Awards.
Recent projects have included:
- In May 2024, nearly 50 volunteers completed a three-week project to build a ground-floor extension with a bedroom and bathroom for stroke victim Keith Parry from Newport, who had been a prisoner in his own front room for two years.
- In October 2023, BBC TV’s The One Show screened the emotional scenes as Luke Goold-Hannattreturned to his family home for the first time following the completion of the project.
- In July 2023, four BoB volunteers who worked on Luke Mortimer’s project joined the ten-year-old quad amputee on the sofa on ITV’s This Morning to talk about the adaptations they have made to his home to make life easier for the schoolboy and his family.
- The first project in Northern Ireland was building a new sunroom for former bricklayer Kevin McGowan, who has been bed-bound for a decade because of a rare neurological disorder, which means he requires round-the-clock care.
- Completely reconfiguring the ground floor of the home of plasterer Mark’s partner Cher Little, who was left relying on a wheelchair after having her legs amputated.
Band of Builders also organises the Big Brew, an annual event to raise awareness of the mental health crisis in the construction industry – where the suicide rate is estimated to be as high as two people every day. UK construction workers are also nearly three times as likely to die by suicide than their counterparts in other industries.
