DIY SOS star Nick Knowles was left visibly emotional during a powerful Gladiators special of the BBC show the project struck a deeply personal chord with his own childhood after growing up on a council estate.
Nick returned to the heart of DIY SOS alongside his long-standing team and four Gladiators. It was one of the programme’s most ambitious builds to date – the construction of a brand-new youth club in East Riding of Yorkshire.
The special saw Hammer, Cyclone, Giant and Fury roll up their sleeves with Nick, Gaby Blackman, Chris Frediani and Billy Byrne to rebuild the Cherry Tree Youth Club from the ground up.
Located in one of the bottom 15 per cent most deprived areas in the country, Cherry Tree Youth Club lost its original building five years ago. During lockdown, the space was converted into a food bank – a service that continues to support more than 1,500 people today.
Without a permanent base, local children were left meeting beneath a single gazebo in the park, battling wind, rain and snow as volunteers worked tirelessly to make sure they were fed.
DIY SOS: Where did Nick Knowles grow up?
Nick found himself overwhelmed before the build had even begun. Speaking to youth club manager Jo, he was told just how desperate the situation had become.
“We speak to kids who haven’t eaten anything for days,” Jo explained. “There are young people who don’t have support at home or trusted adults to go to.”
Nick also met youth worker Chloe. She had once been a member of the club herself. Growing up, she was a young carer for her siblings in an unsafe home.
“What helped me the most was being able to confide in an adult at the youth club,” Chloe told him.
Addressing the army of volunteer tradespeople before work began, Nick’s emotions quickly surfaced as he reflected on his own upbringing.
The TV presenter spent the first 11 years of his life living on a council estate in Southall, West London. His voice cracked as he spoke.
“I grew up in a place like this,” he said. “The kind of place people say, ‘Don’t bother building anything nice there, it will just get destroyed’.
“You have to build stuff in tough places. You have to make a difference and change things.”
After gathering himself, Nick added: “I didn’t expect it to get me. You will change the futures of young people around here with what we’re about to do.”
DIY SOS Gladiators Special: Cherry Tree build
The challenge was enormous. Nick and the DIY SOS team had just eight days to complete the build, following months of planning and groundwork. The new club was constructed using 18 timber wall frames, two shipping containers and a prefab roof.
However, the team hit a major obstacle when installing toilets. The nearest sewer was 80 metres away, running through a residential garden.
Gladiators Fury and Giant, real names Jodie Ounsley and Jamie Christian-Johal, stepped in to help lift the huge pipes needed to connect everything up. Giant joked: “I’m just glad I can put the muscles to use!”
Hammer and Cyclone – Tom Jack Wilson and Lystus Ebosele – also helped source outdoor exercise equipment for the club’s garden. While the Gladiators joined forces to tackle a final push with just 24 hours left.
DIY SOS’s Ashley Edwards faced the mammoth task of laying 950 square metres of turf. Once again, the Gladiators stepped up.
Against the odds, the build was completed on time.
The finished Cherry Tree Youth Club now boasts a stage, DJ equipment, karaoke machine, a beauty area, a state-of-the-art kitchen and dedicated spaces for arts and crafts. There is also a calming breakout room for children who need time away from the noise.
Outside, the transformation continues with a sensory garden, table tennis, an outdoor pizza area complete with oven – and an outdoor gym, thanks to the Gladiators.
Nick Knowles: ‘This reminds me of where I grew up’
Nick was overcome once more as he showed Jo, Chloe and their colleague Fiona around the completed building.
“The first few years of my life were on an estate like this,” he said. “The trouble is, it’s represented so badly whenever it’s featured – it’s always about what’s bad.
“But we’ve just spent a week working with people to show what’s good about places like this.”
Under his breath, Nick whispered: “Pull yourself together.”
Wiping away tears, he continued: “What you do is massive, so we had to give you the tools to do it.
“And more than that, we wanted to give you something beautiful, so when people walk in here they know people do care. That message is so important.”
Reflecting on why he couldn’t walk away from the project, Nick admitted it was simply too close to home.
“I sat there seeing kids eating pizza and chips under a gazebo in the rain and thought, ‘This reminds me of where I grew up’,” he said.
“Those places are often overlooked. People who live there think nobody cares. We had to build here. I couldn’t walk away from it.
“There are kids here who can do amazing things if people just believe in them.”
DIY SOS continues on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in 2026.
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