Back in March, Pellacraft responded to an appeal from Nick Knowles and the crew of the “DIY SOS – The Big Build” television programme asking for building materials and volunteers to help rebuild a gym and a community centre that was destroyed in Grenfell Tower.
Pellacraft was delighted to help out and donated four PVC banners to the Dale Youth Boxing Club and North Kensington community centre as part of BBC One special programmes 'DIY SOS: Grenfell Special'. The banners were attached to fencing around the project explaining the works and appealing for other companies to get involved.
The first episode featuring the project was screened on Wednesday 5 September on BBC1. The next episode will be available to watch on BBC1 on Wednesday 12th September at 9pm.
The two-part show highlights the challenges that Nick Knowles and the team faced from building under a motorway on one of their biggest projects to date. It will also feature the Duke of Cambridge who came to help the army of volunteers who were involved in the rebuilding of the boxing club and community centre.
The original gym which included the Dale Youth Boxing Academy had been housed within Grenfell Tower since 1999 but was lost during the inferno. Olympic gold winner James DeGale, 32, and world champion boxer George Groves, 30, are among the top class boxers who had trained in the venue.
The boxing club takes on anyone who wants to train and has been helping youngsters in the area for over 50 years. The club has been homeless since the fire, but local resident and trainer Mick Delaney has been determined to carry it on for the benefit of the young people who use the facility and has been operating the gym from a disused car park open to all the elements.
The Big Build is the BBC’s flagship renovation programme. It has been running for 17 years, and attracts up to 5 million viewers per episode. The award winning show, presented by Nick Knowles and his team of Billy, Mark, Chris and Jules, take on extremely Big Builds.