WORK to adapt the family home of a Suffolk 20-year-old who suffered a catastrophic brain aneurysm has been backed by a leading builders merchant.
Band of Builders, a building charity which completes practical projects to help members of the UK construction industry and their families suffering from life-changing or limiting circumstances, is currently carrying out work to enable Luke Goold-Hannatt to move back to his Woodbridge home.
Trainee bricklayer Luke was just 17 and in the second year of a bricklaying course at Otley College when he suffered an aneurysm known as an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in January 2020. Since then, Luke has spent all his time in hospitals and rehabilitation centres before moving to the Sue Ryder Neurological Care Centre The Chantry around 18 months ago.
His parents, Karen Goold and Luke Hannatt, were desperately trying to raise funds to adapt their house so Luke could return home before the end of the year, and that has now been made possible in advance thanks to the Band of Builders’ support.
Luke Goold-Hannatt before the aneurysm.
Selco Builders Warehouse, which has 75 branches across the UK, has offered its backing to the campaign by providing materials, including cavity trays, to help with the refurbishment.
Tony Steel, Operations Director for Band of Builders, said: “We are on a mission to get Luke home and back where he belongs with his family. This is exactly the type of project that Band of Builders exists for and we are hugely grateful to our partners such as Selco for the support they provide in enabling us to deliver such important work.”
With his family initially told the chances of Luke surviving were limited, he was sedated and transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge after the aneurysm where he underwent life-saving surgery to release the pressure to his brain. Luke has since been left with profound disabilities which require constant care. He is now able to move one leg and one of his arms and communicates by blinking and raising his eyebrows, as well as using an alphabet chart to spell put words.
Lee Powling, branch manager of Selco Chelmsford which provided the products, said: “As soon as we heard about Luke’s story, we had no hesitation getting involved to support the fantastic efforts of Band of Builders. We are keeping everything crossed that this will be a real turning point for Luke and his family after they have all suffered horrendously over the last three-and-a-half-years.”
With hundreds of trade brands always in stock, Selco’s 75 UK branches are firmly focused on helping tradespeople complete their jobs as quickly and effectively as possible.
See page 18 of our August/September 2023 issue on our Back Issues page.
