SUPER THRILLED to get an email from the BBC today! they had been approached me about them using an image of one of my paintings for a DIY SOS with Nick Knowles episode which I agreed too and the episode is airing on :
Thursday 19th November, 8pm, BBC One
So watch out and spot my Painting!
#DIYSOS #irishart #irishartist #volunteerart

The story behind this episode

In this episode, Nick Knowles his loyal team and hundreds of volunteers head to Scunthorpe, for a truly emotional and inspiring build, that deals with a double grief.

In August 2007 tragedy first struck when Natasha (7), Caroline and Paul’s eldest daughter, died in a tragic accident at home, in their garage. Natasha rode a mini-moto, into the garage that Paul built and hit her head on a wall-mounted cupboard. She said, she was okay but within minutes became critically unwell, due to a massive head trauma. In hospital, they desperately tried to save her, but her head swelled terribly. It was horrific and the couple were told for Natasha’s sake, that she needed to be taken off life-support and allowed to die.

Caroline and Paul were unable to come to terms with what happened on that tragic day. Paul always blamed himself; he was a huge motorbike fan and so, whilst grieving, crushed every bike he owned. Some relief came, when in September 2012, daughter Paige Hope was born. Paul had had a vasectomy reversal to try for another child, to help deal with their loss. Brother, Reece chose her name – he said ‘Paige is a new chapter in our life’

Unfortunately tragedy struck, for a second time, when in March 2016, steel worker Paul complained of chest pains after returning from work. Tragically, a few days later, he suffered a heart attack, had stents fitted and after a few days at home suffered a cardiac arrest, in front of Caroline and Paige, from which he never regained consciousness. Caroline is convinced, his anxiety, was guilt and stress over his daughter’s death.

For the next 10 Days, Paul was on a life support machine. Caroline was then forced, once again, to deal with the trauma of switching off the life-support machine, to her husband of 28 years. On both occasions, she was brave enough to donate her loved ones organs, to help other families.

Now Caroline (44), Reece (15) and Paige (6) are grieving and trying to re-build their lives without their father, husband and sister.  But there are two huge obstacles to their mental health; the daily visual reminders of the garage and the conservatory, where their two loved ones died and that’s where DIYSOS and the kind volunteers step in to change their life.