Presenter Nick Knowles and DIY SOS team help severely disabled Freckleton teenager
A Lancashire church is celebrating answered prayers alongside people from their local community as the BBC’s DIY SOS swooped in to help transform the life of a severely disabled Freckleton teenager and his family.
Presenter Nick Knowles and his colleagues recruited regional volunteer builders, craftsmen and helpers to transform a new family home for teenager Daniel Flemen, building on fundraising work that had been going on locally for some time.
All then set to work as the DIY SOS gang this week to make the usual magic happen.
The outcome delighted local Vicar, Rev. Tracy Swindells, of Holy Trinity Freckleton, and members of her church who have been part of a big local support network for the family.
She described it as an “amazing community to live in”.
Daniel had a life-saving operation to remove a brain tumour when he was 13, but it left him severely disabled and unable to return home to Freckleton.
Now 16, he is currently on a respiratory ward in Manchester but is now coming home to a house the Flemen family bought in the village which needed to be extended and adapted.
The project work took place over several days leading up to the ‘reveal day’ on Thursday.
Rev. Tracy has been working alongside Roman Catholic and Methodist colleagues and they have all had a lot of involvement with Daniel’s family since he became seriously ill.
All three local clergy have also visited the new house to bless both it and the extension plans.
She said: “What an amazing community we live in. The whole village of Freckleton, and also our church in Warton, have been helping them fundraise.
“As well as being our Rose Queen and Youth Group's chosen charity for the year, the village band has held concerts; the running club has done a bed push; Warton Singers, run by our church organist, held a concert and the three churches have had other joint fund raising events, as well as individual ones.”
She added: “We've also been praying for Dan at our churches for some time now. We have regular prayer at both churches on a Monday and Wednesday to pray for growth and renewal in our parishes, and anything else that we feel needs praying for.”
Daniel has been making small improvements in recent months and his father Nigel told BBC Radio Lancashire recently that welcoming his son home would ‘mean the world because we've been so fractured for so long’.
Mr Flemen went on to say he and his wife Julie had been ‘living separate lives’ for the past three years as he works while she goes to see their son.
Mr Flemen also anticipated the DIY SOS team would have a huge job converting the house for his return, but it was all in a day’s work for Nick Knowles and everyone from DIY SOS … the project was finished successfully and on time.
The ‘reveal’ of the final build is top secret for now and the Freckleton programme will be aired in 2026.
Rev. Tracy said: “We were very excited that our prayers for DIY SOS to get involved have been answered.
“The big reveal day was one of so many happy tears. I think every person there was choked up when Dan had a guard of honour lining the streets applauding him home.
“Dan joined in with the applause and gave everyone the thumbs up while his dad, Nigel, tipped me totally over the edge when he gave me a big hug and shouted ‘we've done it!”