Local bricklayers, plumbers, electricians and decorators gave up weekends and evenings for free to gut and rebuild a ramshackle house for four-year-old Aidan Jackowiak.
By Jeremy Armstrong, from The Mirror [view original]
These are the kind-hearted workers who built a special home for a desperately disabled little boy in their town.
The army of bricklayers, plumbers, electricians and decorators gave up weekends and evenings for free to gut and rebuild a ramshackle house for four-year-old Aidan Jackowiak.
Aidan suffers the rare and debilitating Cloves syndrome and needs a wheelchair to get around.
Dad Karl Smith, 37, mum Vikki Jackowiak, 41, Aidan and big brother Daniel had to find a home big enough for a council-funded lift and ramp so he could be moved around safely. Workers and businesses in Alnwick, Northumberland, gave £100,000-worth of fixtures and free labour as carer Karl and council worker Vikki could not afford other renovations.
Karl said: “The new place is great thanks to the extraordinary generosity of so many tradesmen.”
The concrete drive remained unbuilt as council contractors said the family must first agree to pay any extra costs incurred on top of the council’s £29,000 grant.
But the Mirror stepped in and within hours the council had agreed to cover all extra costs.
“We are so grateful,” said Karl.
Northumberland county council said: “We’ve been working to support the family for some time and want to reassure them that any extra costs for this element of the work will be covered by the council.”