Band of Builders completes project for teenager with rare disease 

​​​​​​​Volunteers turned an overgrown jungle into a safe sensory space, including a pond, in just two weeks

A teenager from Rotherham with an incurable disease has spoken of her joy at setting foot in her home's garden for the first time after volunteers from the national construction charity turned what was an overgrown jungle into a safe sensory space in just 15 days. 

Stevie Taylor and her family thanked the Band of Builders (BoB) volunteers for answering her dad, Paul's (a former gas fitter), cry for help.

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 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. It was wildly overgrown and full of old building materials from when the house's roof had to be replaced entirely.

The garden features block-paved walkways and raised borders, which she can navigate using her cane.

The completed garden has two main sections: the top half with the block paving walkways and an area where the family can install dining furniture.

The lower garden is a safe woodland space with even compacted ground so that Stevie can experience many sensations, including a pond.

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. This left 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 to look after Stevie and had previously volunteered and worked on a DIY SOS project—appealed for help from the construction community.