EastEnders stars will join Nick Knowles and the DIY SOS team in Harlow, Essex, to help transform a community project to bring people together and improve mental health.

The cast members from Albert Square will don their hard hats and join an army of volunteers to create a new building for Butterfly Effect Well-Being, enabling the project to offer its services to more people in need of help with issues including social isolation and self-harm.

Butterfly Effect Well-Being is currently operating out of a portacabin and is in desperate need of the DIY SOS team. The community interest company runs a range of groups, including a men’s meet-up, a singing group and ‘Chill and Chat’ teen sessions, as well as cooking and crafts workshops and holistic therapy classes.

Its founder Angela Hannibal set up the project after losing her mum to suicide. Her mum had struggled for years with poor mental health and after she died, Angela decided to quit her career as a pharmacist to try to help people like her.

The project has been gifted an empty building by the local council, but it’s in a state of disrepair and needs extensive internal and external works to make it fit for purpose.

Nick and the DIY SOS team are now appealing for local volunteers to join the EastEnders stars and help turn the building into a warm and welcoming hub, where anyone in the community can go for help, support and company when they most need it.

Nick Knowles says: “This is a special project that does so much to help the community in Harlow and I can’t wait to get stuck in with our EastEnders friends and see this amazing build come together. As always, we wouldn’t be able to deliver such important projects without the generosity of our brilliant volunteers, so if you have a trade or can help us with materials then get in touch!”

Catherine Catton, BBC Head of Commissioning, Factual Entertainment & Events, says: “This is a fantastic collaboration between EastEnders and DIY SOS which will transform a truly deserving project. We are so looking forward to seeing the build come together for Butterfly Effect Well-Being and helping Angela and her team provide support to even more people.”

DIY SOS relies on the generosity of trade volunteers and company donations and so is appealing for tradespeople including; electricians, plumbers, carpenters, plasterers and decorators to offer support with the transformation in October.

There will be a Trades Day held in Harlow on Tuesday 3 October 2023.

Those interested in volunteering as a professional trade or donating product to this charitable build must email: diysosharlow@bbc.co.uk before Trades Day to arrange an appointment to meet with the team.

The build will take place from Wednesday 25 to Tuesday 31 October 2023.

The EastEnders stars taking part in the episode will be announced ahead of broadcast later in 2023.