A HEREFORDSHIRE dad-of-two suffering from cancer is to receive help from the same charity he volunteered for three years ago.

Kyle O'Connor, a construction teacher at The Hereford Academy in Marlbook Road, suffered a seizure in December 2020, leading to the diagnosis of an incurable form of brain cancer.

He was in the process of renovating the family home in Kings Thorn, near Hereford, when the illness struck. Surgery then radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment followed, meaning he couldn't complete the work.

Mr O'Connor, partner Rachel, stepson Harry, 17, and daughter Lottie, 10, have been living with an unfinished extension and loft conversion ever since.

Volunteers from around the country representing building charity Band of Builders will now step in to complete the work.

Mr O'Connor knows first-hand the work the charity does, having worked on a similar project in 2019, when he helped build a cabin for a 15-year-old boy with Cystic Fybrosis so that Kyle Sissons could be home-schooled and spend time with his friends without endangering his health.

Mr O'Connor said: "Work on the renovation of our home was coming along nicely when I had a seizure. Within a couple of months, I was diagnosed with a grade 3 brain tumour, which required immediate surgery.

"All the time I’m at home, all I can see is work that needs to be completed to give my family the home they deserve – that’s why I’m so grateful that Band of Builders is supporting my family."

Project lead Jake Anderson, who has appeared in four projects for BBC show DIY SOS, said: "Our team will help put his and his family’s minds at rest, not only that we’ll complete his project but also that it will be up to his standards."