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Gay Couple With Four Adopted Special Needs Kids Have Home Transformed

Gay Couple With Four Adopted Special Needs Kids Have Home Transformed

In just five days!

Michael Minay

Michael Minay

An inspirational gay couple have been given a big reward for all the hard, selfless work they've devoted their lives to.

Garry and Kyle Ratcliffe, labelled 'superheroes', have had their home completely replaced by the DIY SOS team in just five days.

The pair, from Sheppey, Kent, who adopted four children with special needs, have seen their three-bedroom cramped bungalow transformed into modern five-bedroom pad.

With the help of Nick Knowles and the DIY SOS team their home was knocked down, re-built and ready to home Haydn, 13, who has cerebral palsy; Bella, 11, who has Down's Syndrome; Curtis, six, who is severely epileptic, blind and also has CP; while Phoebe, six, is physically healthy but suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Credit: BBC One

Over 100 volunteers came together to spare their time, for a couple who have given their lives to help these children, and built a home with state-of-the-art medical technology, and cameras to help monitor the children.

Knowles admitted it was a 'nerve-wracking' build, with the added pressure of making it a 'forever home' which the children could really thrive in.

Garry, a headteacher of two schools, and Kyle, a stay-at-home father, said the reason behind their multiple adoptions was because they were determined to give the children a better start in life.

Credit: BBC One

Sadly (and incorrectly, some would argue), they felt they were failing because of their small house. Curtis was in a cot in the front room, Phoebe was on the sofa, Haydn had a small bedroom, while Bella was in a makeshift set-up in the boot room.

The house went from this...

Credit: BBC One

Credit: BBC One

To this...

Credit: BBC One

Credit: BBC One

The bathroom was given a modern finish with a calming blue colour, Bella got a girly pink room with cloud-printed wallpaper, Phoebe got a relaxed room, and Curtis got a colourful bright place to sleep.

The pair say they've never looked back since adopting Hayden when he turned up on their doorstep. They then adopted Curtis, who was initially given just months to live, before sisters Bella and Phoebe soon joined.

Credit: BBC One

Credit: BBC One

"There was a risk the girls would be split up," Garry said. "It's quite a ruthless market, you know a catalogue of 'oh, I like that one' or 'she's got Down's, we don't want a child like that.'

"Bella could have been dumped in care for the rest of her life. No matter what her own circumstances we could not have let them be adopted separately."

1,530 cups of tea later and they had a new home - what a result, and another moment of brilliance for the DIY SOS team.

Kyle said of the result: "I can't believe how much thought has gone into it.

"It's enabling our kids to be more than they are, which is really important."

Credit: BBC One

Credit: BBC One

Garry added: "You have futureproofed our lives for us really. Thank you."

It's the latest in a string of big projects for the DIY SOS team who try to help deserving families. Their most profiled one was in October 2015 when they roped in the help of Prince William and Prince Harry for the 'Homes For Veterans' project.

In 13 days, the team converted eight properties into four homes plus a support office. The TV edit made 9.6 million viewers - the highest ever in the shows history.

Featured Image Credit: BBC One

Topics: Gay