As Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway returned to the screen last weekend, Bellway played a starring role by giving away a £260,000 home to a deserving family live on the show.
The housebuilder partnered with the celebrity presenters and the producers of the show to give away its biggest ever prize for a single family.
The recipients were a family who started a charity to support grieving parents and siblings following the loss of their baby daughter. Petra and Simon Williams will now move to Bellway’s Moorfields development in Killingworth, Newcastle with their three children.
The Saturday Night Takeaway team had approached Bellway’s group sales and marketing director, Maria Seed, early in 2019 to discuss the idea of giving away a home. Since then, Bellway’s directors, Ant and Dec and their producers had worked to closely together to make the surprise happen.
Jason Honeyman, CEO for Bellway, said: “The opportunity to work with Saturday Night Takeaway and to help a family who have done so much for others was something we were keen to embrace.
“The production team felt we would be an ideal fit to work alongside Ant and Dec. Bellway Moorfields is the closest development to our head office, so allocating the winning home there meant we could keep a close eye on the project. Ant and Dec enjoyed returning to the North East when they visited to help our construction team prepare the Williams family’s new home.
“Significant efforts were required to preserve the mystery until the broadcast and it was rewarding to see the family’s reactions to this life-changing prize.
“We wish them all the best as they settle into the community at Bellway Moorfields. Theirs is a perfect home for a young family. We hope that being able to live mortgage-free will enable them to continue their valued work helping families at the time when they are most in need.”
Petra, (31), and Simon, (33), were nominated by their friend Nikki Pinchen to receive a life-changing prize. The couple had suffered the devastating loss of their baby daughter Darcey-Leigh in February 2017 from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Darcey-Leigh had a twin sister, Layla-Grace, and an older sister Emelia-Paige, who at the time was about to turn two.
In the depths of the family’s grief, Emelia-Paige said: “Mummy, nobody cares about me and I miss Darcey too.” Her words inspired Petra to devote her life to helping others to manage their grief.
The charity ‘Darcey’s Dream – My Family and Siblings Matter’ was founded as Darcey-Leigh’s legacy. It is led by Petra, while delivery driver Simon works full time to support the family.
Darcey’s Dream offers a range of support services and counselling for the siblings within bereaved families.
Petra and Simon thought they were in London to record a documentary on charities when they were invited to join the audience for the popular ITV show.
Next, they were plucked from the audience and told they were being given a fully-furnished three-bedroom house – complete with an interiors package by Newcastle-based Q Interiors.
The couple, who currently rent a home in Northumberland, had their first glimpse of their surprise new house during Saturday night’s broadcast. Inside they saw Nikki, Petra’s mum Maureen and their daughters Emelia-Paige (5), Layla-Grace (3) and son Bailey (2) getting used to their new surroundings.
Dec said: “We know the family relies on your overtime, Simon, as a delivery driver to make ends meet and as a result you’ve never been able to go on loads of luxurious holidays or own your own home. That is, until tonight.”
Ant added: “You see, Petra and Simon, that brand new house – the house your kids are outside right now – that house now belongs to you. And here are the keys.”
Clearly both emotional, the couple described the news as “fantastic” and Petra said: “I’m very rarely speechless, but I am to be fair.”
Dec had explained: “Last summer we spoke to Bellway and they said that if you come up and help us build a home, we’ll let you give it away on your show – as long as you can find a family who really deserve it.”
After revealing the surprise, Dec said: “It’s there, you haven’t seen it yet – would you like to have a look around your new Bellway home?”
Petra and Simon watched a video tour of their new Bellway home and garden, as Ant revealed: “You’ve also got a garden for you and the kids to enjoy those really hot Geordie summers!”
Dec ended the segment, saying: “Congratulations – enjoy the rest of your life in your new family home.”
It was revealed that Ant and Dec had been involved in the build of the home, trying their hand at bricklaying, plastering and plumbing, as well as getting involved with their own take on interior design.
The Williams family’s new home is a new Bellway three-bedroom semi-detached house called The Cherry. It features an open-plan kitchen diner with integrated appliances, a spacious living area, front and back garden and three bathrooms.
Bellway had worked with Q Interiors to create a family-friendly interior design scheme with each family member’s characteristics and likes factored in.
Julie Watson, co-director of Q Interiors, said: “This was a challenging brief because we obviously couldn’t meet the family but with help from Nikki, we have built a picture of what they would like.
“The design scheme includes sparkly lights and plenty of glitz for Petra, a dinosaur-themed bedroom for Bailey, princess beds and customised wardrobes for the girls, and even a personalised bed for their dog, Coco.
“We hope they enjoy living in their new home just as much as we loved designing it”.
To find out how the family is settling in, follow @BellwayHomes on Instagram or visit www.facebook.com/bellway