BBC’s DIY SOS Transform Capel Manor College Student’s Family Home
BBC’S DIY SOS and volunteers carried out major home renovations for the Scott family from Grove Park in London earlier this year. Shay, an animal management student at Capel Manor College and his four siblings have faced unbelievable challenges over the past two years after their mum Zoe, sadly passed away in a tragic accident at home in February 2023.
Their home was in desperate need of renovation, with cramped spaces, failing electrics, and an unsafe layout that complicated their youngest sibling Seth’s medical needs. Seth is registered blind, autistic and suffers from renal failure.
Somer is the eldest sibling and is studying in Liverpool to become a doctor, and she plans to support her family when she graduates. In the meantime, Samuel the second eldest, has taken on full-time caring responsibilities. All five siblings are incredibly close and have been determined to stay together in their family home.
DIY SOS along with a team of volunteers that included staff and students from Capel Manor College, and local tradespeople, undertook a full-scale transformation of the property to make the house spacious and functional for the family.
The episode aired on BBC One on Friday 24 October 2025 and showed the Scott family home totally transformed from a cramped three bedroom with a small kitchen and living area, to a spacious four-bedroom house with an extended kitchen, dining and living area. The property also featured an asbestos filled garage at the bottom of the garden that was safely removed and replaced with a studio apartment pod for when Somer is home from university at the weekends.
Volunteers from Capel Manor College used their horticulture and landscaping skills to help the DIY SOS team turn the under-utilised garden into a low maintenance yet beautiful, tranquil space. The finished garden features fruit trees, flowers and a meandering path.
Simon, a Capel Manor College student studying horticulture at the time was one of the volunteers that was happy to help fellow student Shay and his family:
“It was a really great experience with super, lovely people for an amazing cause. I’m glad to have been part of something that has changed lives for the better. A memory that will last forever.”
Rafia Sultana Hogg, a horticulture lecturer at Capel Manor College also volunteered during the project and says:
“It was a great feeling to help one of our students. It was also a privilege to witness the greatness and generosity of the local community. There were people who came from all walks of life, with a wide range of skills and experiences that together helped the project to complete within the timeframe.”
The DIY SOS team along with the support of the local community showcased the power of people supporting each other and working together. The project team did more than just renovate a family home; they helped the Scott family to begin a new chapter.
