Band of Builders volunteers complete back-to-back projects in Cambridgeshire and Glasgow

Band of Builders volunteers have completed two home renovation projects 350 miles apart, finishing a stalled extension for a four-year-old cancer patient in Cambridgeshire and installing a walk-in shower for an 82-year-old man in Glasgow.

The charity said the two completions take its tally of finished projects to 55. The Cambridgeshire job was sponsored by power tool manufacturer DEWALT and the Glasgow job by Plumb Centre.

Tony Steel, Service Delivery Director at Band of Builders, said: "Completing two life-changing projects back-to-back, 350 miles apart, is a fantastic achievement and demonstrates the incredible reach and strength of Band of Builders as a national charity."

The Cambridgeshire project

The Cambridgeshire project completed a half-finished home extension started by builder Robert Sargent. According to the charity, the work ground to a halt when his son Henry was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma in June 2026.

The diagnosis meant Henry could not go home until the house was a safe and suitable environment for him while he undergoes intensive cancer treatment, the charity said.

Band of Builders announced the completion as its 54th project on 12 October 2026. More than 60 volunteer tradespeople worked on the three-week job, which covered insulation, plasterboarding, wall preparation and plastering, window installation and fitting a new kitchen.

Tim Winstanley, DEWALT's Marketing Director, said the company's contribution was providing the tools needed to complete the work. A reporter from ITV Anglia News attended the handover, according to the charity.

The Glasgow project

In Ibrox, Glasgow, five volunteers installed a walk-in shower for Archie Brown, a former bricklayer who has lived with Parkinson's Disease for eight years and is also recovering from treatment for skin cancer. The charity said the work took about a week.

Archie and his wife Mary have lived in their home for 57 years. According to Band of Builders, his biggest difficulty was climbing in and out of the bath to shower, and his family had become increasingly concerned about his mobility around the house.

Speaking on behalf of Archie and Mary, their son-in-law David Crawford said: "Archie didn't expect the team to do so much, so quickly and to such a high standard of craftsmanship."

He said the new bathroom means Archie can continue to live independently and safely in his own home.

Background

Band of Builders began when its founder, Addam Smith, learned that his friend and fellow construction worker Keith Ellick had been diagnosed with cancer, according to the charity's own account of its history. It gained charity status in 2019.

The charity's completed-projects listing shows Archie's and Henry's projects as its most recent.

Steel said the charity's volunteers had given their time, skills and expertise to both jobs, and that the sponsors, DEWALT and Plumb Centre, had provided the support to make them possible.

The two completions are the charity's 54th and 55th projects.