DIY SOS Volunteer Gets Help After Caring for Mom with Alzheimer's

Vicky Maddox spent years volunteering with BBC's DIY SOS, helping transform strangers' homes. Now, the construction community she served has given her something priceless: a home where her whole family can live together again.

The Burnley woman was halfway through building an extension when life changed overnight. Her mom Keren was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and could no longer live safely alone.

Vicky left her civil service career to become a full-time caregiver. She moved in with her mom, leaving her 19-year-old son living alone in their half-finished house across town.

The unfinished extension became a daily reminder of what felt impossible. Exposed joists, wires hanging from ceilings, and bare walls greeted her every visit. The kitchen had no worktops, the front room was unusable, and open drains outside made the yard unsafe.

"The state of the house, combined with caring for my mum, had become overwhelming," Vicky said.

She reached out to Band of Builders, a national construction charity she'd worked with as a volunteer. Within days, a dozen tradespeople answered the call.

They traveled from across the country, working until late into the night. In just 13 days, they fitted a complete new kitchen and built a connecting studio annexe for Keren, complete with its own kitchen and bathroom.

Sunny's Take

What makes this story shine isn't just the physical transformation. It's that Vicky spent years volunteering without always seeing the impact her work had on families. Now she understands it deeply.

"It's amazing, an absolute transformation," she said. "They've worked their tripe out and have been here to stupid o'clock at night. I cannot thank them enough."

Operations director Tony Steel captured why the team traveled so far: "Vicky is a well-known and liked member of the construction community of volunteers, and we as a charity are delighted to help someone who has previously dedicated herself to helping others."

The family that was split across two houses is now together under one roof, with Keren safe in her own space and Vicky finally able to care for her mom while living with her son again.

Sometimes the helpers need help too, and the best communities remember to look after their own.