TWO women painter-decorators – one who lives in the town and the other who plays football for Wellington Ladies – have been putting their skills to good use in DIY SOS: the Big Build television show.

Caroline Robinson, who lives in Howard Road, and Leanne Godwin, who has played football for the local side for nine seasons, worked for days free of charge alongside scores of other tradespeople for a deserving family in Weston-super-Mare.

The BBC television show, watched by up to five million people and fronted by Nick Knowles, sees a regular team of tradesmen backed by local tradespeople transform lives by carrying out big builds in just nine days.

Caroline and Leanne answered an appeal on Facebook for tradespeople to help Chris and Cat Sweet and their children in Weston.

Caroline said the family’s small former council house was transformed with all the internal walls taken out and a two-storey extension added at the back, along with adaptations including lifting gear in every room to help make the family’s life easier. Caroline, who had been ill, was on site for three days and worked long days finishing at 7-8pm each night.

She said: “It was amazing and very busy – I was thinking today I wish I was back there. A lot of the people I met had a reason for being there – they had lost someone or had a family member who was ill – they were healing through helping.”

The show ends with a ‘reveal’ when the family are shown around their transformed house and then meet all the tradespeople who have carried out the work.

Caroline said: “The mother’s thank-you speech was so nice. She said we were all heroes – and she got out a piece of paper with a definition of what a hero is.

“She said ‘you can all go home knowing you are all heroes and you will always be heroes to me’. Everyone was crying. It was all really sad – happy sad.”

Caroline, of Carrie On Decorating, has been in the trade 14 years and was interviewed by BBC Radio Bristol after the job was completed.

Leanne said she had grown up wanting to help people and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of working on DIY SOS and meeting like-minded individuals.

Leanne, who trades as Leanne Can and worked on site for seven days, added: “Reveal day was very emotional for everyone involved – to meet the family who were introduced back into their home was so heart-warming. The transformation in nine days was incredible to see.”

The Sweet’s two eldest children, Louisa, 14, and Max, 11, have been diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia, a life-limiting neuromuscular condition with no treatment or cure which will see them as full-time wheelchair users in their teens.

Their third child Harry, six, has been diagnosed with a genetic condition called Ehlers Danlos syndrome, which causes severe pain in his joints, unsettled sleep and chronic constipation.

DIY SOS chose to feature the family as all three children have struggled to cope with normal life at home, which will have to accommodate three wheelchairs.