Kind-hearted workmen repair 50 broken Storm Ciara fences for free

Jimmy Nsubuga
Updated ·2 min read
Adam O’Carroll, 23, and Tom Doherty, 28, have been fixing fences for free (Picture: Mercury)
Adam O’Carroll, 23, and Tom Doherty, 28, have been fixing fences for free (Picture: Mercury)

Two handymen have fixed more than 50 broken fences damaged by Storm Ciara for free.

Adam O’Carroll, 23, and Tom Doherty, 28, put a call out on their business Facebook page for elderly residents whose fence panels had been damaged by Sunday’s storm.

They received a big response within an hour with their post being shared more than 6,000 times, and the pair have since made dozens of repairs across Tameside, Manchester.

Mr O’Carroll, from Manchester, said: “The phone has been going off non-stop since Sunday.

“Our usual job is weather dependent so we’ve been fixing the fences in between - it only takes about one minute to lift up the fence and slot it back in place.”

Storm Ciara has caused havoc across the country (Picture: Mercury)
Storm Ciara has caused havoc across the country (Picture: Mercury)

Mr O’Carroll added: “We wouldn’t expect an elderly person to lift up a heavy fence panel by themselves, it takes a few people to do it.

“Sometimes the fences are broken beyond repair and we’ve had to prop it up for the meantime.

“There’s a local fencing place that we recommend and then we offer to go back and fit the new panel for free.

“We’ve actually now been offered discounts by that place which is great.”

Read more: Storm Ciara: Dramatic video shows lifeboat almost capsizing

The Good Samaritans, who run T&A Resin, said the elderly people were really nice and offered them food and payment.

Mr O’Carroll said: “There’s been some very touching stories so far - one lady said her parents are both ill, one with cancer, and other people we’ve helped have been disabled.”

Read more: Storm Ciara weather warnings still in place as snow hits UK following floods and gales

The handymen have been fixing fences in Manchester (Picture: Mercury)
The handymen have been fixing fences in Manchester (Picture: Mercury)

The men came up with the idea after helping Mr O’Carroll’s fiancee’s grandma fix her fence during a previous storm.

After his own fence panel blew out over the weekend, Mr O’Carroll thought it would be nice to assist OAPs who might need a hand.

Because the demand has been so high, the men have drafted in help of their family and apprentice.

Read more: Dog remained by side of owner killed by falling tree branch during Storm Ciara

Mr O’Carroll added: “Today my brother is coming to help - I fell asleep early last night and woke up to 14 requests already.

“We’re going to keep on helping people when we can.

“I’ve actually lost count of how many fences we’ve fixed!”