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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
Entertainment
Neil Pooran

DIY SOS makes heartwarming return to The Yard - Edinburgh kids' charity they helped seven years ago

The DIY SOS TV show has made an emotional return to the Edinburgh children's charity which they helped seven years ago.

Presenter Nick Knowles and his team revisited The Yard, the adventure play centre for disabled children and their families.

The visit was part of his "Celebrating 20 years" episode, where he tours around the country visiting places which have appeared on the show over the last two decades.

In 2012 Nick and the team helped to give The Yard a complete overhaul after the ageing building on Eyre Place Lane proved inadequate.

The Yard provides a vital lifeline to the families of children who have learning difficulties and other conditions, giving parents a chance to relax.

A new play area, sensory room and kitchen was created by generous tradespeople lending their time and effort.

Nick got a warm welcome when he returned in the latest episode, broadcast on Thursday night, and found The Yard in better shape than ever.

Chairwoman Celine Sinclair told him: "The Yard has grown from being a handful of families to becoming a second home for about 1,150 families in Scotland."

The charity has expanded to Fife and Dundee, and has plans to expand to Glasgow.

Nick also spoke to Stephen Duke, an electrician who helped on the original build, after his own son began to use the centre.

He said it was "surreal" to be back at the centre he helped build but he loved the services it provided.

Stephen told the Daily Record earlier: "It's somewhere we use regularly and the staff are brilliant. It's really worth all the effort that went into it."

You can watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer here.

Celine added that she had been delighted to receive the visit from DIY SOS.

She said: "We are absolutely delighted that Nick and the team chose to revisit The Yard of all the wonderful projects they have transformed.

"It was great to be able to share with them how far we have come since 2012, with services now up and running in Dundee and Kirkcaldy.

"We hope our appearance on the show will generate even greater support from our communities, as we work towards building a brand new state-of-the-art centre to house The Yard Dundee."

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