Builders join band to bring Howard home
AGROUP of volunteers will modify a man’s home for free so he can go back to his home as he is suffering from brain damage.
Howard Holden, from Oswaldtwistle, suffered unexplained heart failure in his sleep in April 2020 which has ultimately led to brain damage.
Since then, the former building surveyor has been in a live-in brain injury unit in Garforth, near Leeds while he awaits modifications to his home from national charity, Band of Builders.
Sam Holden, Howard’s wife, said: “In April 2020, Howard suffered from a heart attack in his sleep out of nowhere and he stopped breathing.
“Myself and my youngest daughter heard a strange noise coming from the upstairs bedroom and as soon as we walked in, we knew something was wrong.
“We called the ambulance but it took a long time due to the impact of the pandemic and as a result, his condition got worse and there was a lack of oxygen to his brain. We were told to expect the worst.
Fortunately, Howard survived this ordeal, but still suffers from quite a few health issues to this day and has only recently been able to think about moving back to the family home, a dormer bungalow.
By chance, Sam invited a tradesperson who had previously volunteered with Band of Builders – a charity that aims to help members of the construction industry when times get tough – to take a look at her home.
She was told the modifications would be expensive so he put her name forward and eventually they were approved.
The modifications to the house include a new downstairs loo and an extension to the downstairs bedroom so Howard has somewhere he can go and relax when he becomes fatigued.
Sam added: “We need to have a toilet downstairs so it’s easier for Howard in the middle of the night.
“At the moment, when he has stayed over, I have to go to the loo with him to make sure he doesn’t fall down the stairs as his mobility is variable.
“We also need some fencing up outside because he often gets confused where he is and goes for a wander.
“The garden is quite uneven as well which makes it difficult for him to walk.”
Band of Builders has plans to complete 12 projects in 2022 to help fellow tradespeople and their families through times of hardship.
Initially formed in 2016, each project undertaken by
the charity sees a group of volunteers coming together to help the former tradesperson and their families through renovations or repairs that make a real difference to their lives.
The charity has been working closely with its partners, which include
organisations such as DEWALT, Jewson, Regatta and Gibbs and Dandy to arrange the ring-fencing of the materials for each project.
Billy Thomasson, project lead, said: “With Howard’s project, there will be 30-60 volunteers and it should take around 13 days to complete from start to finish. I think we all want to help because it could be one of us in the same situation one day; you could just fall over or get seriously ill and then you can’t live your life in the same way anymore.”