DIY SOS: Emotional reveal of Matthew Cooper's new Telford home airs on the BBC

The BBC team were in Trench back in March to transform the home of Matthew Cooper, a 12-year-old boy who has had huge support from the people of Telford after becoming ill while the family were on holiday in Devon.

Matthew had been in hospital for more than a year after suffering cancer and a stroke, turning his family’s world upside down.

The youngster’s headteacher Julie Henry of Wrockwardine Wood Junior School, and his classmates, were fundraising to get him back in his home and have it made suitable for his needs.

Julie and Matthew’s best friends put out a plea to DIY SOS to help, and Nick and the team answered, getting support from hundreds of volunteers who helped make Matthew’s home suitable for his complex medical needs.

And the children of Telford were the stars of the show, introducing the start of the programme on BBC One at 9pm on Thursday.

His friends said that he was a fun loving, friendly boy who used to play “pranks” on each other.

And they have been sending their love and support to him since his diagnosis, visiting him in hospital constantly.

Matthew’s father Leigh described the “dark days” when they first found out about their son’s illness, saying they “couldn’t believe” it was happening to their family.

Mum Sue said: “You can’t show them that you’re frightened, you have to be strong."

After talking about Matthew’s stroke during treatment, she said: “I just sat and cried every day.”

For a normal family whose life was thrown into disarray, the help of DIY SOS was just what they needed and made their family home somewhere they could be a family together again, after staying in rented accommodation since Matthew finished his treatment towards the end of 2016, as the home in Springfield Road was completely unsuitable for his wheelchair.

But it wasn’t an easy build, and the team were hit with a number of problems, as they attempted to do six months work in nine days.

Presenter Nick described the build as a “colossal job” but they were helped with hundreds of volunteers from across Telford and Shropshire.

Many said they wanted to do something to “give back”, offering time and supplies for free to get the house done.

The house was stripped and cleared on day one, including the garden, which was made wheelchair friendly.

The garden team were forced to strip it by hand, as there was no access for a mechanical digger for much of the time, having to lift it in by crane on day three.

An old extension was demolished and larger new foundations were put down slightly ahead of the build to give the team more space to work with, extending it around the side and back.

On day two, the major work was done downstairs, starting to make the house inhabitable, building the rooms of the house.

Building a soak away in the clay soil garden on day four put the build behind by two days.

And the team worked so efficiently they ran out of bricks as they worked to put the extension up.

Throughout most of the build, they battled through rain to keep things on schedule.

The team built a new bedroom, wet room and spare room for friends to stay when they visit.

Best friends Gabe, Emily and Luke helped designer Gabrielle Blackman make the house personal to him, with fellow school friends popping along to see the team working hard during the build.

As well, the builders added an upstairs office where Matthew’s medicine could be stored, as well as fitted the house with a fully integrated alarm system and hoists to help his parents move Matthew around.

The team also added some Doctor Who-inspired touches to the interior decoration, in honour of Matthew’s love of the show, with help from a comic book artist and a signed picture from current doctor Peter Capaldi.

And the parents were brought to tears when they saw the results, with Matthew nodding as he saw his new bedroom designed to look like the Tardis.

Matthew’s mother Sue said: “It is like something off a movie. It is amazing.”

She described the new garden as “a piece of heaven.”

Father Leigh added: “I don’t know how you’ve done it.”

A huge crowd of friends and volunteers attended to see the reveal at the end of the build.

Addressing everyone, Leigh said: “You’ve done an amazing thing for us as a family and a really amazing thing for one little lad, our son Matthew.”

Sue said: “I want to say how overwhelming this community has been has in getting us, as a family, home.”

His family has previously said the £52,000 raised by the local appeal for Matthew will go towards his ongoing treatment, paying for physiotherapy and new equipment.

Throughout the show, viewers were able to get to know Matthew and go on trips with his school friends.

Teacher Mrs Henry said: “The whole experience has been really good for the school because it has shown the children there are good people and they can do some good in this world.”

Mr Knowles said: “Once we press go, it is amazing what can happen.

“Who knows how far Matthew can now get, that’s how community works.”