Operation People Power

BBC One, Air date: December 2016

Dave assembles a team of celebrities on a mission to find out just what can be achieved when volunteers come together to help others in need.

Operation People Power

Dave celebrate the garden makeover success at Baggator. © BBC

One in three already people volunteer in the UK and Dave draws upon that spirit of getting involved to help community projects, meeting volunteers and those that benefit from the help of others.

Dave calls on the help of Nicki Chapman (Wanted Down Under, Escape To The Country), Mark Millar (DIY SOS), Martyn Ashton (a biking legend turned motivator who suffered a crash which left him paralysed) and Juliet Sargent (Tanzanian-born Gold Winner at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016), to muster an army of volunteers to help those who help others.

Episodes

  1. Green Space: Dave tasks his team with turning a run-down space in Bristol into a magnificent community garden. Using an army of local people, happy to give their skills and time, the garden is gradually cleared of brambles and weeds to become a space for the whole community. Dave discovers how green space and being outdoors plays a significant role in our well-being.
  2. Social Inclusion: Britain meets Eunice. After losing her husband earlier this year, Eunice finds she has very few friends and feels lonely for most of her day. Dave meets up with charities which encourage elderly citizens to sing, dance and have fun. Dave’s presenting team muster a squad of volunteers to put a smile back on to Eunice’s face.
  3. Freedom: Dave visits a volunteer-run adventure playground and discovers that as well as providing a fantastic place for kids to play, it also plays a significant role in the lives of parents. In particular he meets Asher, who reveals how the playground essentially changed her life, as she started to build her confidence when first moving to the area. Dave summons his team to renovate the area used by under-fives.
  4. Leg Up: Dave meets Darren and Daniel. Both are recovering from addictions and are supported by a charity-run café in Bristol. Dave is touched by their stories, so tasks his army of helpers to help the café clear and renovate a yard space to allow it to serve and help more people.
  5. Direction: Dave visits a volunteer-run project that is devoted to giving young people the support and guidance they need to make the right choices in life. Inspired by the characters he meets, Dave and his team muster a team of volunteers to improve a community space.

Join Dave on his Operation People Power, from Monday 12th December to Friday 16th December, 9.15am -10.00am on BBC One.