Band are all set to bring dad Howard back home
AMAN was due to return his family home after a group of selfless volunteers modified it for free due to him being left brain damaged.
The Observer reported in January about the project which will see modifications made to the home of Howard Holden, a former building surveyor from Oswaldtwistle who suffered unexplained heart failure in his sleep in 2020. He is due to return to his home from a live-in brain injury unit in Garforth, near Leeds.
National charity, Band of Builders have been busy working on the modifications to Howard’s home, with volunteers from across the country stepping in.
Rick Davies, who travelled from Bolton to volunteer and offer his expertise, said: “I saw that Band of Builders were looking for a plasterer on their Facebook page and I jumped at the chance.
“Even the most mundane of tasks is such a small sacrifice for me - but incredible for them.
“It’s honestly better than any paid job you’ll ever have.”
Rick said: “I would say there have been around 20 volunteers for the project when I’ve been there, and people just volunteer and chip in with what they can.”
Cafe 88, based in Accrington, have been providing food for the volunteers at the site all week.
Owner Darryl said: “We were initially approached to help by Ellen, the lady who works for Band of Builder’s PR and we said yes before she even finished her sentence.
“Basically, we put a noticeboard up in the cafe
and customers can buy certain things and then that money and food has gone to the volunteers.
“On the first day, we sent over some breakfast but then on the Saturday there was about 20-30 of them so we made dinners instead which included soup, rolls and cold sandwiches.
“My wife will be putting on a spread for them in the next few days as well.”
Darryl added: “Ever since I’ve been following the Band of Builders progress on Facebook and it’s amazing to see the local community of restaurants, pubs, tradespeople and the general public banding together to help.”