Hanwha Techwin Europe has responded to a call for help from the BBC DIY SOS team who have turned a run down ransacked landmark building in Blackpool, into a Young Carers Centre.

The Challenge
Blackpool Carers Centre has provided lifeline services to young carers and their families in Blackpool since 2005. With demand for its services continuing to increase, the Centre was presented with an opportunity to grow by Beaverbrooks Charitable Trust in the form of Blenheim House, a Victorian building which had been used for years for children’s support services and a family centre.

Regretfully, after NHS services moved out, thieves moved in, leaving dreams in tatters, and the charity with a monumental task on its hands. Fortunately, the DIY SOS team were able to step in to rescue the grand old Blackpool building and turn it into a fun, safe and supportive space for the young carers.

The Solution
Morecambe based installation specialist, Bay Communications Group LTD, was asked by the producers of DIY SOS to voluntarily project manage, as well as install, a comprehensive security solution that would create a safe environment for everyone that will use the new Blenheim House Young Carers Centre.

“We were of course delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to this important project, as were Hanwha Techwin Europe who donated a complete IP network video surveillance system via its distribution partner Norbain,” said Tim Barbary, Managing Director of Bay Communications Group LTD. “We also had the support of BFT, who supplied a gate automation solution and Videx who provided an intercom and fob access system. It was a great team effort which resulted in our being able to complete the installation of all the elements of the security solution on time.”

The project to renovate Blenheim House will feature in a special episode for the BBC’s charity ‘Children in Need’, which will be broadcast in November 2016 with the objective of highlighting the plight and amazing work that Young Carers do on a daily basis, in the Blackpool community.

The episode will show how DIY SOS achieved its biggest charitable build to date by turning an empty shell of a building into a warm, fun and welcoming space for children between the age of 5 to 18 yrs old.