KNOWLES’ DIY SOS OVER PARKING FINES
TRADERS volunteering their time for a charity project in Wales as part of the television series DIY SOS have been issued with £100 parking fines.
Over the past 11 days volunteers have given up their time to complete a building for Children in Need in Swansea.
This saw them working through the night before being faced with penalty charge notices for parking at a nearby car park.
They had been helping on a project to rebuild the headquarters of The Roots Foundation in the city which helps children in care transition to adult life once they come of age.
The programme presenter’s Nick Knowles took to Twitter on Saturday to ask the parking company, Millennium Group, why they had issued the parking tickets.
He wrote: “I’m sure you didn’t realise @Mill_Grp that vans you ticketed at site 88 were volunteer builders @DIYSOS for @ChildreninNeed, will you rescind?”
He later revealed how much the tickets would cost, which sparked many replies from people offering to pay the fines on the volunteers’ behalf.
But on Sunday morning the parking company’s managing director David Bellis told Mr Knowles that he would pay the fines himself.
In a statement which was posted on Twitter, he said: “In the interest of consistency and compliance with our regulatory bodies, MPS regrettably are not able to cancel the PCNs.
“However, I am very much aware of the good work yourself, your show and the volunteers are doing.
“The local community has very much come together to assist in your project and I would like to be a part of it.
“I will personally pay the PCNS and am happy to assist however I can, by way of a further donation to your cause, and offer complimentary on-site security services should you need them.”
The builders had been parking at a nearby car park in front of sandwich shop Subway in Fforestfach.
Mr Knowles said: “When we were working very very late on Saturday night we bought the vans closer and parked them outside a store that had been supporting us all week by providing various coffees and other things.
“Of course they had gone home and the parking fines people came round and found the vans and put fines on. I think this was without realising what was going on.
“It came up on social media. The people apparently saw it who are part of the parking organisation and I believe they have decided to waiver them. Once it was pointed out to them, they’ve been very good and rescinded those tickets which is great.” The Subway store had been providing the volunteers on site with hot drinks and refreshments.
The building, which will become The Roots Foundation Wales’ new home, has proved to be one of the biggest ever challenges for the BBC team.
Speaking from the site off Ravenhill Road in Fforestfach, Mr Knowles said: “The last 11 days have been no mean feat; this build was epic, [of a] big-scale and really tested us.
“We saw difficult weather which flooded the building site as well as many other challenges but with the help of the hundreds of volunteers and suppliers we’ve created something truly special which will go on to benefit so many of Wales’ children and young people who need it most.”
Emma Lewis, from The Roots Foundation Wales, added: “Words cannot describe how overjoyed we are about the incredible transformation that DIY SOS: The Big Build BBC Children in Need Special has turned around. From The Hut to this wonderful property, there’s no comparison.”
The transformation will be shown in DIY SOS: The Big Build BBC Children in Need Special on BBC One in November.