DIY SOS star Nick Knowles breaks down in tears over incredible transformation
DIY SOS became incredibly emotional for host Nick Knowles who could be seen turning away from the BBC cameras as he broke down in tears on Tuesday night.
The episode saw the DIY SOS team travel to Southmead, Bristol to help revitalise the oldest adventure playground in the city.
It's known locally as The Ranch and was first built by the local community with generation after generation spending their childhood playing on it.
Sadly, it was burned down by vandals, leaving locals to rebuild on two separate occasions and critically leaving hundreds of children in need of a safe place to play.
But The Ranch's bad luck was about to end as Nick, 59, and his team turned up after another planned project fell through.
One of the playworkers, Lil, described it as a "miracle".
The team quickly sought donations of labour and materials, while the Trust was able to pledge funds to pay for the rest.
The DIY SOS builders worked around the clock for nine days and nights in October of last year to restore the communal space.
To help bring the play area back to its former glory the army of volunteers and tradespeople helped clear the undergrowth, restored the swampy pond and re-landscaped the whole area, even adding an outdoor classroom complete with a fire pit for their Forest School.
Massive new structures, which Nick explained were known as "deep play", were added to provide thrills – from huge swings to a scary "death slide".
The once dilapidated sports pitch was resurfaced and transformed into a modern all-weather multi-games pitch.
The team wanted to make The Ranch fit for all age groups and even included outdoor "chill areas" for the teenagers and best yet, they turned an old shipping container into a recording studio.
That's when the 59 year old became overwhelmed with emotion to the point he couldn't speak.
One guest appeared shocked as she explored the "Music Box" and asked Nick: "Are we getting the guitars and all the equipment?"
Unable to respond, the presenter simply nodded, only for her to repeat the question in emotional disbelief.
She added: “Oh my God, this is what youth means…”
"Nick, he's crying," pointed out one of the locals. She continued: "We can't thank you enough."
"I can't even get through this," he replied, as he wiped away his tears and turned away from the camera.
One playworker explained: "I'm just so moved and overwhelmed. It means so much to use because it means so much to the children, just to see their faces…and it must have taken a lot of hard work, you can tell, so much work."
Fighting tears, Nick returned and said: "This is above and beyond anything we could have possibly dreamed of."
Lil added: "I'm in shock, this is… the teenagers are going to be elated, this is phenomenal."
Another remarked: “Oh Nick, you know what music is to kids.” as a sobbing Lil added gratefully: “This is amazing.”
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