THE OBJECTIVE

The Cowley family moved into a bungalow in 2024, as their old house was no longer suitable for 11-year-old James, who has multiple complex needs – including quadriplegic cerebral palsy, malrotation, short bowel syndrome, speech and feeding difficulties, and sight impairment.

James’s dad, Chris – a supervisor in the road construction industry, with previous experience as a welder/fabricator in steel frame buildings and structural steel – has been working every hour he can during evenings and weekends to modernise the interior of the 1970s bungalow.

The house has a large back garden, but it is currently unsafe, with a significant slope and uneven ground. Due to James’s various health conditions, which affect his mobility and vision, this means the garden is not accessible to him. As James has worked so hard to learn how to walk after many, many surgeries, transforming this garden would give him more independence and the ability to play outside – vital for him keeping active and enjoying a greater quality of life.

THE BACKGROUND

James’s health concerns started from birth – born four months premature, he weighed a tiny 1 lb 7 oz (655 g) and was on the brink of survival.

As an infant, he suffered two catastrophic brain bleeds. He was diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, delayed development, and speech and feeding difficulties. Although he had an operation to save his eyesight and stop his retinas from detaching, James is registered severely sight impaired (blind) and has light sensitivity.

James was also born with a condition called malrotation, where the bowel doesn’t develop correctly. At 4½ months old, just as he was ready to finally come home, James’s bowel twisted. Due to this, the blood supply was cut off and his bowel began to die.

Alongside battling sepsis, he had two lots of emergency surgery to remove the majority of his bowel and create stomas. After eight months in hospital and following two more bowel surgeries to connect his bowel back together, plus a diagnosis of short bowel syndrome (a life-limiting condition), James finally made it home. He has been fully tube fed ever since.

Over the years, James has undergone 18 surgeries, including fundoplication (wrapping the top of the stomach around the oesophagus to stop cycle vomiting and reflux), emergency gallbladder removal and spinal surgery to cut nerve rootlets in the spinal cord to remove spasticity (tightness).

In January 2026, James was rushed to hospital via ambulance with a bowel obstruction, caused by complications from his bowel surgeries and gallbladder removal. He is still recovering from this.

James is now 11, and he is now able to walk unaided, thanks to his tireless efforts and physiotherapy and strength and conditioning therapy. His family have recently moved to a bungalow to create a safer, more accessible home for him. However, the garden isn’t safe due to uneven ground, bumps and slopes, which James struggles with due to his limited vision and cerebral palsy.

In the future, he will suffer more bowel obstructions, and any illness will significantly affect him. He is also likely to lose more of his sight and some of his mobility, becoming more reliant again on walking aids or even potentially becoming permanently wheelchair dependent. But for now, James is loving life – and a safe garden will allow him the space to play and do the activities he loves, giving him a better quality of life.

THE PROJECT

James can’t access local parks due to the lack of suitable equipment, so he loves to spend a lot of time in the garden. He loves to play with his water table, bounce on his trampoline, go on his specialist swing and push his pram around the garden. However, the garden currently isn’t safe or accessible for James due to heavy sloping and uneven terrain – causing a significant fall risk.

BoB will transform the garden into a safe space that will allow James to enjoy playing outdoors safely, maintain his mobility and become more independent. This will involve fully clearing the back garden and then levelling it to create a flat, accessible space.

As the bungalow is a corner plot and sits higher than the neighbours’ gardens, we will need to install a retaining wall and fencing before the levelling can take place.

To register your interest, please click this link. Band of Builders – Band of Builders Project Sign-Up Form – James’s Project

When: Work to start in May

Duration: TBC

Where: Chester

Trades Required: TBC – we are also looking for a volunteer to lead this project.