Jacob, this one’s for you …
By Phil Wilson
It’s a proud and emotional moment for me to reveal our latest house design. Whilst every community we build means a lot to our team – Jacob’s Place is deeply personal for me.
My son Jacob was born in 1996. The effects of his Cerebral Palsy were, to say the least, severe. Unable to see or hear, walk or talk meant he was entirely dependent on us. We had to feed him via a tube, eventually directly into his tummy, and carry him in our arms when not in a buggy.
It was a scary and uncertain time for all of us. For him, for us and for the family, who got on with life the best we could around Jacob’s nerve-inducing stints in hospital. No-one could tell us how long his life would be.
Sadly, we said goodbye when he was seven.
20 years later, I was watching an episode of DIY SOS and it made the time that had passed seem like nothing. I admit, I cried my eyes out watching another family with similar issues go through the same struggles we did, without the finances to change their situation.
Whilst we were at the time more fortunate to have the means to change our living arrangements, it was still a lengthy process to find a solution. Our thinking was that as he got bigger, it would be untenable to carry him up and downstairs to the bedrooms and bathrooms. We adapted a new build home, converting an integral garage, which worked for us to a degree.
Back to today. I’m watching the hit BBC show having set up a new, challenger housebuilder. One committed to doing things well and differently. That family made me really question why, at new build communities, more is not done to consider families with dependent relatives. I felt compelled to do something to improve the quality of life for those families and the team agreed.
Discussing the issue, we considered ways we could achieve this simply and do it well (after all, simple done well is our team motto). We set about putting the idea into action, and decided we'd offer an adaption to a standard home on every site and offer it to families in need at no extra cost where need could be identified. Simple help.
The result is Jacob’s Place – a proper family home that keeps families together. Whilst it has the essential ground floor bedroom and adjoining bathroom, it compromises on none of the design-led features of our other properties. High-spec kitchens; open plan living; energy efficiency; I could go on.
I know what a lifeline such a property would have been for us and Jacob when we needed it most. The first home should be ready this summer at Silkash in Bolton, with more planned at other sites.
I can't understate how proud and overwhelmed I am by the support from our team, and local partners who are helping to make our vision to make the home available at affordable rent a reality.
More tears are guaranteed (I’m a total softie) when we complete the build and hand it over. I can’t wait to see it become home to a family, much like mine was. I can’t wait to continue the initiative at other sites, and I’m so grateful to have a creative and dedicated team willing to break the mould and help families in their hour of need.
Jacob’s Place is provided with love, grace and understanding. Hopefully, its use will make life a bit simpler, and allow the focus to be squarely on the people who call it home, not the house itself.
Eternal thanks, in particular, to Nick Knowles and his team at DIY SOS for the inspiration. Plus, of course, Jacob. This one’s for you.