A grateful Sheppey family tearfully thanked a large team of volunteer tradespeople this morning as they saw their brand new home - which was built from scratch in just nine days.

After eight weeks away, Garry and Kyle Ratcliffe returned to their property in Elmley Road, Brambledown, which now caters specifically for their family thanks to the BBC programme DIY SOS: The Big Build.

The couple have four adopted children, three with very complex and life-limiting medical conditions.

VIDEO: DIY SOS return to Sheppey for the big reveal of the Ratcliffe's new home

Their eldest son Haydn, 12, has cerebral palsy, is blind in one eye, is tube fed and uses a powered wheelchair full-time.

His younger brother Curtis also has severe cerebral palsy, as well as scoliosis, hip dysplasia, epilepsy and sleep apnoea.

The five-year-old is also blind, tube fed and uses a wheelchair full-time.

Their nine-year-old sister Isobella has high-level Down syndrome, causing behavioural, learning and communication difficulties.

The youngest sibling, Phoebe, is four and physically perfectly healthy, but she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and night terrors, having been neglected and taken into care as a baby.

The Ratcliffes lived in a three-bedroom bungalow, with one bathroom, which had become completely unsuitable.

The DIY SOS team looked to extend the house, but after realising this would not be possible, they completely demolished it at the beginning of September. The team then returned to the Island on October 4 to rebuild it.

The Ratcliffes new family home now has five bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Today, well over 100 traders and suppliers, who helped with the project by working or providing materials for free, turned out for the big reveal.

Speaking afterwards, Garry said: “We are overwhelmed by people’s generosity and the finished house is better than our wildest dreams.

“To everyone who has been working on the project, words cannot describe our appreciation.

“You have all made our children’s lives so much easier and just perfect.

“You have made a forever home for our forever family.

“The house is absolutely beautiful. The teams have really thought of every single little feature that is needed for our four special children.”

Kyle added: “You know when you go to the dentist and sit and read through all the glossy homes magazines at those amazing designer houses? Well that’s what we have.

“A beautiful, glossy magazine home and we just cannot thank everyone enough.”

For the full report, see next week’s Sheerness Times Guardian, on sale from Wednesday.