Russell Roof Tiles has partnered with roofing contractor Liberty Roofing to help a deserving family transform their home.
The inclusion of Russells’ Grampian tiles and accessories on a ground floor extension has helped 11-year-old Matthew Cooper come home to his family in Telford, Shropshire after being in hospital for over a year.
Matthew, who was a typical active young boy, had complained of headaches and nausea prior to a family holiday in Devon. Suddenly, he struggled to walk and within 48 hours was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.
In surgery 90 per cent of a brain tumour was successfully removed, but unfortunately after treatment in intensive care, complications occurred leaving him paralysed. After 14 months, Matthew was given the green light to come home. However, due to his condition Matthew now has specific living requirements the family home needed to be renovated.
After a valiant community effort to help the Cooper family, it became clear the project was beyond the resources available. BBC1’s DIY: SOS The Big Build stepped in to help and the family were featured on the programme. The Big Build depends on the generosity of tradespeople and suppliers to provide the materials and carry out the building work. Without the help of DIY:SOS Matthew would have needed to stay in hospital until alternative accommodation is found.
Russells stepped in to work with Liberty Roofing to supply Grampian tiles and accessories – working closely with the team at Liberty it was all hands-on deck to get the project ready for the arrival of Matthew.
James Pendleton, Russell Roof Tiles’ Regional Director said “It’s amazing to be able to make a difference to the lives of this brave young boy and his family. When we heard about the project, Liberty and ourselves wanted to assist the Cooper family by providing them with the best possible roof tiles for the project. We’re really proud that our products were chosen as it’s important to us to be able to use our tiles to provide solutions to help others.”
Matt Tipping, Commercial Director of Liberty Roofing said “We were asked at short notice to aid in the renovation of Matthew’s family home. Initially we were asked to supply labour only but after the materials couldn’t be sourced, we offered our assistance. Russells arranged for roof tiles to be supplied and delivered free of charge within 48 hours and this meant that the building was finished within the 9-day build programme.”
“The DIY SOS team were impressed with our products and Matthew and his family were overjoyed at the result and overwhelmed by the generosity of the traders who helped them transform their lives. We couldn’t have got this job done without Russell Roof Tiles.”
The project is the latest in a series of initiatives from Russells, who have an impressive history of giving back to the communities that they work in. They raised a staggering £24,000 for two local Blood Bikes charities, and have previously fundraised for Help For Heroes and Macmillan Cancer Support. Most of the company’s generous staff took part in fundraising activities, which included a ‘Dancing on the Tiles’ Strictly-style event, football matches and a Golf Day.