The Ainscough team had the privilege of working with DIY SOS in Freckleton, Lancashire, lifting the roof trusses for a house being adapted so that a teenager could come home from hospital to be with his family.
A home Dan come back to
In 2022, Dane Flemen was active 13 year old from Freckleton – a scout, and a football fan. That October he was diagnosed with a tumour in the centre of his brain and the surgery to remove the tumour left him life altering altercations. Dan spent more than two and half years in Royal Manchester Children’s hospital. His family’s home in Freckleton couldn’t accommodate a wheelchair, so he couldn’t return. This made things difficult for Daniel and his family.
In July 2025, Nick Knowles, designer Gaby Blackman and the DIY SOS team brought together tradespeople, volunteers and North West businesses to change that. Over a week long build, they adapted the house with an accessible bedroom for Dan, an adapted bathroom and space for his round the clock care. Ainscough brought its experience in complex lifting operations to get the roof trusses into place safely.
Planning a lift beside a military base
Technical Manager Alex Schwarzer carried out the site visit and wrote the lift plan and soon identified that the biggest challenge wouldn’t be the lift itself, but where it was. Ainscough has done hundreds of lifts for construction projects, though this one sat at almost the end of the runway at Warton Aerodrome, which flies military Aircraft.
Alex’s experience working in the area made him already aware of the Aerodrome and flightpaths and noted that his first request to put up a crane at the address was refused outright. The second time round he proposed a much shorter boom and explained what the lift was for and the impact it would have on the family. With those changes, Warton granted permission.
Lift day
On the day of the lifting, our new Liebherr LTC 1050-3.1 hybrid crane set up on the street outside the house - its compact footprint suits residential roads like this one. It lifted the timber roof trusses over neighbouring homes and onto the new extension, where the DIY SOS volunteers fixed them in place.
Ainscough’s work went beyond the lift. We transported the roof trusses, collected equipment in London and it all to the site in Freckleton using our new FASSI F820 HIAB. Joe Embery, Transport Operations Planner at Ainscough, said:
“It has been an absolute privilege to play a part in this incredible transformation. The DIY SOS team, alongside the many selfless tradespeople and volunteers, created something truly special for Daniel and his family. We’re proud that our cranes and transport services could help bring the vision to life and contribute to such a meaningful cause.”
Our crane and lifting equipment were organised by our Preston depot, who are close to the site. With the build on its doorstep, it was a project that meant a lot to the team.
Family are thriving
The lifting operation had to be carried out in a short time frame, but it was completed safely and without incident. The best thing for our team is that Dan got to come home, and we’ve heard the family are thriving.
If you haven’t watched the video yet, you can view it here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0032x18/diy-sos-series-35-4-bringing-dan-home
