Matthew Cooper: Mayor says event will honour DIY SOS volunteers
The mayor of Telford & Wrekin says a special reception for volunteers who worked to transform the house of Matthew Cooper will be chance to say a "great big thank you".
Telford & Wrekin Council is organising an event to say thank you to those hundreds who supported the BBC's DIY SOS Big Build at Matthew's home on Springfield Road in Trench.
Invitations have been sent out from council leader Shaun Davies and mayor of Telford & Wrekin, Councillor Stephen Reynolds, inviting people to a special reception to thank them for their part in the work.
It will be held in September at Oakengates Theatre.
Councillor Reynolds has said the effort from the community was "tremendous" and the council wants to recognise the efforts of all those who came out to help.
He said it will help thank those volunteers and tradespeople who gave up "time, effort and energy" to help with the transformation, which has helped the Cooper family.
He said: "We want to say thank you to everyone that pulled together to help Matthew.
"It was a fortnight of hard work and the community pulled together tremendously.
"We'd also like to particularly thank Julie Henry, the headteacher of Matthew's former school and his friends who were the ones who first approached the BBC and DIY SOS."
Matthew’s former school, Wrockwardine Wood Juniors, and the wider community managed to raise more than £52,000 towards renovating Matthew’s home before they got the nod that the television programme would be able to help.
Back in March, hundreds of kind-hearted builders, suppliers and helpers rolled up their sleeves to take part in the DIY SOS Big Build at the home of Matthew Cooper.
The television team had just nine days to transform his home in Springfield Road, Trench, Telford, with a team of 90 kind-hearted volunteers on site each day, giving up their services for free.
The 12-year-old had been cared for at Birmingham Children’s Hospital since August 2015 after he was diagnosed with brain and spinal cancer.
After more than a year in hospital, at the end of last year, he finished his chemotherapy and had been living in a rented house until the family home was made suitable for his needs.
In June, people were able to see the results, with an emotional broadcast of the programme on the BBC.
Since the filming, Matthew has been making good strides, improving his mobility and communication.
Matthew’s father Leigh, said he hoped that the family would be able to attend the event and thank those who helped the family in person.
He said: "It will nice to see everyone and thank them all together.
"It was an amazing thing and it will be nice for all those people to get recognition. We're settling in at the moment."
He said Matthew himself is doing well.
Leigh added: "He's doing very well, the physio we have brought in seem to be bringing him on and we've seen some more movement on his right side, which is encouraging.
"Just to be home and have his friends round has been quite important to help with his motivation."
