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Dad thanks DIY SOS team for son's 'miracle' homecoming

Lynette HorsburghNorth West
News imageRoger Moore A crowd of people wearing high-visibility safety vests and hard hats gather outside a house transformed by BBC One's DIY SOS team. In the centre foreground, is Dan who has brown hair holding his mum, Julie's hand. He is smiling. On the right, a camera operator films the scene. Several people are wearing hard hats with signatures or handwritten markings, and hi-vis vests. Bright sunlight illuminates the group.Roger Moore
Dan's dad Nigel said the family were "so pleased" to be back in Freckleton "where we belong"

The father of a teenager whose "miracle" return home was made possible by the BBC's DIY SOS has said the experience was "humbling" and a reminder that "there are a lot of good people out there".

Seventeen-year-old Dan, from Freckleton, Lancashire, had been in hospital in Manchester for years after a life-saving operation to remove a brain tumour left him with complex disabilities.

Dan needs non-invasive ventilation at nights but his family home required major adaptations for him to receive the treatment there.

His father, Nigel, told BBC Radio Lancashire after the transformation was aired on BBC One on Tuesday: "When your life is turned upside down you have to learn to live again."

News imageRoger Moore DIY SOS volunteers wearing high-visibility yellow safety vests, hard hats and work gloves carry out landscaping and construction work outside a brick house on a sunny day. In the foreground, one worker pushes an orange wheelbarrow filled with soil, while another digs beside a trench with a shovel. Additional workers and construction equipment are visible around the site. The scene includes piles of earth, wheelbarrows, a garden fence, trees and a partly cloudy blue sky. Visible logos appear on some vests and on the side of a wheelbarrow.Roger Moore
The DIY SOS team adapted and extending Dan's family home so he could finally return to his family

The renovation, which was carried 18 months ago, involved professional tradespeople from the show and hundreds of volunteers from the community.

Nigel said: "We actually had a Christmas together in our own home and had people round."

He added the family were "so pleased" to all be back in Freckleton "where we belong".

At just 13, Dan underwent emergency surgery to remove a brain tumour. He then had a stroke.

After spending nearly three years at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Dan was ready to come home long before then, but because his home was not wheelchair accessible, he was forced to stay in hospital.

Nigel and Dan's mother Julie split their time between home in Lancashire and the hospital in Manchester.

News imageRoger Moore A large crowd of the DIY SOS team, volunteers and contractors wearing high-visibility safety vests and hard hats gather on a grassy field at a construction and community event. People stand in small groups talking across the site, while portable toilets, marquees, parked vehicles and residential houses are visible in the background. Tall trees line the edge of the field under bright sunshine and a clear sky. The scene shows a busy, well-attended volunteer project with hundreds of participants spread across the area.Roger Moore
The DIY SOS team said it was one of the most complex projects it has ever done but it got an incredible amount of volunteers and support from the local community

The DIY SOS team set about adapting and extending the house so Dan could finally return to his family.

DIY SOS said it had been one of the most complex projects the team had ever undertaken.

News imageRoger Moore Rev Tracy and Deacon Kim Gabbatiss wearing white hard hats, high-visibility yellow safety vests with DIY SOS logos, and outdoor work jackets stand together under a canopy at a construction site. Rev Tracy is wearing a clerical collar. Handwritten labels Rev Tracy and Deacon Kim are visible on both hard hats. They are volunteering in the build as part of the BBC One show DIY SOS.Roger Moore
Rev Tracy Swindells and Deacon Kim Gabbatiss were among the volunteers who helped with the build

The first day involved removing a roof and installing a new one, and the build pushed the volunteers and team to the limit.

Luckily, the village and surrounding areas came out in force to get Dan home.

Even by the show's standards, the reveal was "incredibly emotional".

Dan said he was now "thriving" in his new accessible home, but, most importantly, was surrounded by his family.

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