The amazing story of how a whole city full of volunteers came together to answer a call from Nick Knowles and the DIY SOS team to transform an adventure playground in Bristol will be finally shown tonight.
The BBC show, which sees presenters and a team of workers set a challenge and a deadline for a big bit of DIY, was filmed in Southmead at the end of October last year - and the episode airs tonight at 8pm, Tuesday, October 24, on BBC1.
The show will reveal how local building firms, volunteers, the army and even the local firefighters got involved in transforming The Ranch - the Southmead Adventure Playground - over the course of ten days. The group that manages the playground has now revealed that it was only due to another DIY SOS project falling through that it secured a slot on the show, as a rapid replacement.
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The challenge was huge. The programme-makers wanted a big job to get done and this was it. At the start of it, the aim was to invigorate the Southmead Adventure Playground for future generations.
The to-do list contained jobs each big enough for one show on their own, let alone all together. The challenge was set at the start of the ten days to renovate the dilapidated playground and add exciting new features, re-build the burnt-out Forest School shelter and clear the overgrown pond for pond-dipping, re-style the community space to include a new kitchen and games area, and re-lay the badly damaged basketball and football pitch into a modern multi-use games area.
The call went out, and a host of different firms, volunteers and organisations came to help, armed with drills and screwdrivers, wood and materials. The firefighters on both the green and red watch at Southmead Fire Station got stuck in, each firefighter volunteering to help during the time they were off-duty.
“Throughout the rebuild, firefighters from Southmead Green Watch and Red Watch spent several days on site working alongside other volunteers ranging from the Army to local tradespeople,” said a spokesperson for Avon Fire and Rescue. “From laying track mats on day one, to filling the playground's pond and cleaning the roads, the involvement of the Service's firefighters was very much appreciated by all those involved,” she added.
The big rebuild and revamp needed stuff as well as volunteers - and when the call went out, it was local companies who answered it, like Hills Quarry Products, who donated 30 tonnes of Cotswold path gravel to help with the renovations. It was one of the last big things Hills sales boss Andy Shield did before he retired, and viewers will catch him visiting the site to see how the donation was used.
Southmead Development Trust, which manages The Ranch, says the site is the oldest adventure playground in Bristol. Over the decades it has been burned down and rebuilt twice and different charities have been involved in delivering play services in the community.
When The Ranch was in danger of complete closure in 2018 amid cuts, the Southmead Development Trust took a huge risk in taking on the lease to run a skeleton service. But before it could raise enough funds to increase sessions, the covid pandemic arrived and it had to close.
One of its volunteers reached out to the DIY SOS team for help and the Trust said it secured the place as a rapid replacement, as one of the projects already planned for the series had fallen through.
Lasting impact of the build
Will Dorney, Youth and Play Manager at the Ranch, said: "The quality of the facilities here now are exactly what our children and young people deserve. It shows them they’re worth it. We now have record attendance numbers.
"Also, since relocating our local Youth Club here we have noticed a huge leap in young people spending time with us, and a decrease in anti-social behaviour around the community. If young people have somewhere decent to go with committed staff they can trust it’s a no brainer that they’ll come”.
Pete de Boer, Senior Practitioner for Youth and Community at Bristol City Council said: “We’re very proud of working in partnership with the Southmead Development Trust at The Ranch. The Voluntary and Community Sector are integral to supporting children and young people’s personal and social development, as well as keeping children and young people safe and out of harm’s way.
“The Ranch is an essential resource in Southmead and we really look forward to continued partnership working for the years to come”.
Amy Kinnear, Southmead Development’s Trust CEO, said: “Never has children’s mental and physical health been more important as all our young people recover from the pandemic. Children in Bristol flock to our adventure playgrounds to play, exercise, re-connect, access free hot food, and challenge themselves.
"We work closely with other organisations in Bristol as part of a network called Playful Bristol. This means our communities are strongly linked and we can help each other on all aspects of youth and play work.
“The DIY SOS renovation is a boost for all of our Adventure Playgrounds in the city as the story is the same for each: the playgrounds are a vital part of our communities and integral to children as they play, learn and grow. They must be kept safe, up to date and properly staffed.
“The project has given us a real lift and we can’t wait to see the show go out. However, the morning after its broadcast we will be back to earth with a bump to continue the incredibly hard and expensive work of running a large site like The Ranch.
"We want to increase opening hours and keep our lovely site in good condition for generations to come - we can’t take our eye off raising funds for a second. If you can help in anyway please do consider supporting us or your local Bristol adventure playground.”
DIY SOS will be screened from 8pm on BBC1.
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