TV
DIY SOS’s Gaby Blackman emotional over son’s death in Children in Need special
The team are taking on one of their biggest challenges yet
DIY SOS frontman Nick Knowles and the team have taken on a huge Children in Need mission this year, tackling an extraordinary build for The Joshua Tree.
Nick, 63, called it the ‘biggest single building’ the DIY SOS crew has ever faced — a structure the size of four three-bed houses lined up together.
In the BBC Children In Need Special, Nick, the gang and hundreds of volunteers descend on the children’s cancer support centre in Cheshire, transforming the site and doubling the size of The Joshua Tree’s existing building. They’re joined by The One Show’s Helen Skelton, Gethin Jones and Greg Rutherford as the project takes shape.
The episode is deeply emotional too. Nick spends time with many of the seriously ill children who rely on the charity, while his teammate Gabrielle – Gaby Blackman – opens up about the heartbreaking loss of her own son and the reality of parenting a sick child.
Nick Knowles is back for a DIY SOS Children in Need special at The Joshua Tree (Credit: BBC)
DIY SOS releases Children in Need special
The DIY SOS Children in Need Special begins with Nick Knowles visiting the staff at The Joshua Tree. He is given a tour of the current facilities and meets some of the children and their families who use it.
Danielle, head of Family Support, says: “Sadly children do die from cancer, and we can’t change that. But what we can do is give them happy special moments where they feel safe and their families can make happy memories together.”
The children who visit are unable to attend school as they have no immune system due to their treatment. The Joshua Tree provides the chance to play with toys and make friends in a very safe and hygienic setting.
Nick meets Alice and her parents. Alice was diagnosed with Ependymoma, which is a rare brain tumour, when she was just three years old. Calling his daughter “so, so special”, her dad explains to the camera: “She was in nursery and had headaches and was a little bit unsteady on her feet.
“The doctors told us she was possibly dehydrated because of the hot weather. She went back into nursery and within an hour, she had collapsed.”
In scenes of his poorly daughter using a zip-wire at the centre, he explains that they have always been honest with Alice about her diagnosis. But he emotionally adds: “It lead to a conversation where she told us she didn’t want to die. Unfortunately, she isn’t aware that is our reality. Because of her age, it will probably happen sooner rather than later.”
The DIY SOS team are helped by The One Show’s Gethin Jones, Helen Skelton and Greg Rutherford
Nick and the DIY SOS team transform The Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree is over-subscribed and needs a building double the size to support its family and children’s needs. But that is where Nick and the DIY SOS team come in.
They plan to build a huge, two-storey timber building measuring in at a whopping 375sqm. In just 12 days, they will build two “hygienic but cosy” family suites for overnight accommodation, a big family room, counselling rooms and a large playroom on the ground floor. This will open out to a beautiful new garden.
Upstairs, there will be two treatment rooms for holistic therapies and a big gym for the older children. The gym is inspired by Joshua Hill, whose parents set up The Joshua Tree.
He was diagnosed with leukaemia aged five and tells Nick: “I was really fortunate that, when I was around 16, mum and dad helped me access a personal trainer. That was a big turning point for me. I started training, got stronger and felt I was one of my peers again.
There are requests for lots of glittery paint from the children, while 12-year-old Ollie asks for a Heroes Wall. The school boy, who has cancer, wants children to be able to write their names on the wall so ‘they don’t feel alone’.
Nick says: “The sheer magnitude of the build is daunting. This is probably one of the single biggest buildings we have ever attempted. It’s like four, three-bedroom houses in a row.”
Gaby Blackman tearfully recalls the death of her baby son (Credit: BBC)
What happened to DIY SOS star Gaby Blackman’s son?
During the episode, DIY SOS star Gabrielle – Gaby – Blackman breaks down in tears. She admits the project is particularly special to her following the death of her baby son Gus.
Gaby’s little boy was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome after his birth and had multiple operations. Tragically, he later contracted MRSA in hospital and died.
In the DIY SOS Children in Need Special, she says: “This build means so much to me because I lost my son when he was a baby and his short life was really tough. He had a very rare heart condition and The Joshua Tree, what they’re doing, is so important. It means everything to all of us.”
Gaby then struggles not to cry when talking to Nick. He asks her: “You actually went through this process yourself, did you have anything like this to support you?”
With her voice breaking, Gaby replies: “No. One of the hardest things when you have a very, very ill child is when you leave hospital and you’re so proud… You’re so proud of them. Of course, to the outside world, your child still looks really ill… Everyone in this building is going to get it. It’s going to be magic.”
“You have made something really special”
The scale of the project is staggering.
The Joshua Tree’s new building relied on around 250 volunteers every single day, with the team using 2.5 miles of electrical wiring and an incredible 526 plasterboards to bring it to life. Some tradespeople even travelled from as far as Glasgow to lend a hand.
When staff return to see the finished site, they’re overwhelmed. Family Support head Danielle is visibly emotional as she steps into the bright, fully stocked playroom.
She’s moved to tears again when she sees the overnight accommodation.
“Thank you so much, this is everything we need for our families. They need this, they deserve this,” she tells Nick.
Outside, staff and parents gather to thank Nick, the DIY SOS crew and the hundreds of volunteers who made the transformation possible.
And then comes the moment that floors everyone. Joshua, whose own journey inspired The Joshua Tree, breaks down as he takes in the new space.
“This wasn’t here when I was going through it,” he says. “But to see the kids have a place like this where they can be normal… To put into words how grateful we are is almost impossible
