BoB Completes Project for Roofer Injured in 8m Scaffolding Fall

VOLUNTEER tradespeople have come together to finish a small extension at the home of a North Lanarkshire roofer who was left unable to complete the project he started after breaking his back and neck in a fall from scaffolding.

Jim Gallacher had already started building work at the front of his home before the freak accident in April 2023 at a Bristol retail park in which he fell 8 metres from scaffolding and landed on an Armco barrier.

Although the 53-year-old has confounded medical experts with his recovery, he has been told in no uncertain terms that he will never be able to lift anything heavy or work at height – and any slip or trip could result in him being in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. As a result, he has had to close his roofing business.

BoB Project

Jim and Debbie Gallacher

With the front of his house left like a building site, Jim and wife Debbie called on national construction charity Band of Builders (BoB) for help. The registered charity completes practical projects to help members of the UK construction industry and their families who are battling illness or injury – and 20 volunteers answered the call to complete the project in time for Christmas.

Jim had dug out the foundations, installed the drainage and got the brick and block work to waist height, but it had been left abandoned with materials and uneven ground. The entrance to the front door was via a sloping catwalk board to an unfinished porch floor with a low gazebo above it and anyone entering the house needed to duck down to go in the door.

The volunteers finished the porch, including rendering, plastering and adding outdoor lights. They also landscaped the garden over three weekends.

Marvelling at the finished work, Debbie Gallacher said she can’t thank all the volunteers from Band of Builders enough.

“Being able to walk safely through your own front door may not mean much to most people but to us, it’s life-changing,” she said.

“We used to live with the constant worry that Jim may slip or trip outside – which meant he didn’t get out of the house much. But that’s all changing as he can get around safely.

“What has been most amazing has been the amount of people who don’t know us but volunteered their time to help us. We are so, so grateful.”

The project was jointly sponsored by Tarmac Blue Circle and SIG Roofing.

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