An unused set of golf clubs, a box of tools no longer needed. For many of us they’d be easy to throw out, but it’s not always so simple.
For Sarah, it was an almost impossible task as they belonged to her husband Trevor, who died aged just 55.
And it didn’t end there as the grieving widow had to get rid of piles of possessions when she had to move back to her old home to live with her daughter Stevie, 35, and granddaughter Hermione, five.
After a few months of struggling with jam-packed rooms, things came to a head.
“We’d come to a point where we couldn’t do it on our own anymore,” says Stevie.
Dramatically, the family turned to TV makeover show Nick Knowles’ Big House Clearout, which kindly stepped up to help as it returns for its second series tonight.
“Almost 12 months ago Sarah’s world was turned upside down,” Nick says.
“Not surprisingly, the colliding lives have caused a clutter catastrophe.
“With two households’ worth of stuff crammed into one three-bedroom property, normal life is becoming impossible.
“But with hope, empathy, and an amazing designer, I’m sure we can make a genuine difference.”
Sarah, 55, lost her husband of 21 years on March 2, 2021. They had been living in Dubai for three years when the military veteran suffered a fatal heart attack.
The widow, who was living in the Middle East thanks to Trevor’s work visa, had her own permit cancelled, leaving just 30 days for her to pack up and leave the country.
“You can’t hang around over there,” she says.
Sarah arrived back in England and moved in with Stevie and Hermione in Emsworth, near Portsmouth.
The end result was rooms piled high with belongings, leaving little space for Sarah to grieve.
But Nick tells her: “I’ll make you a promise. You do the tough stuff, get through the emotional bit of getting rid of half your stuff and you’re going to have an amazing house.”
However, when the team laid out 295 boxes of the family’s items at Southsea Pier ballroom, the volume was a shock.
They discovered Sarah had 91 handbags, Stevie had 51 unused baking moulds and Hermione owned 207 soft toys.
Not to mention hundreds of books and countless pieces of clothing.
But Sarah, who was often left in tears when getting rid of Trevor’s possessions, admitted: “I felt like I was throwing our life away at certain points. It was really hard but it was worth it.”
Stevie, who is six years in remission from breast cancer, is a student midwife who had little space to study at home.
She said helping her mum sort through their belongings was challenging and praised Nick for his support.
“I had a bit of a wobble when we were in the warehouse,” she says.
“I went outside and he took me for a walk round the pier and just chatted to me and calmed me down.
“He is the nicest, loveliest, kindest person I think I’ve met.”
Nick, too, had kind words for Stevie, explaining: “Resilience runs in the family. Look at how she dealt with her illness and is determined to become a midwife, and is determined to give a better life to her daughter.”
Trevor was in the Royal Artillery and many of his belongings were donated to charity Forgotten Veterans UK.
“We knew he’d be pleased. To help a fellow veteran, it’s perfect,” Sarah says.
During the clear-out at the pier, a team also worked on creating comfort in the home for the family’s three generations, all in line with their different tastes in decor.
“It feels like we’ve got space to move and be ourselves now and I feel like I’ve got space to grieve,” Sarah says.
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The family admit the transformation of the home has been a huge step forward.
“We’ve got this beautiful family room, we sit in there every night,” says Stevie.
“It’s changed our relationship, we haven’t argued since the house has been done.”
Sarah finds sewing therapeutic and a shed once filled with clutter was revamped into a light and airy room for practising her skills. She plans to turn her passion into a business.
“Trev used to sit and watch me sew and I feel close to him when I’m doing it,” she says. The garage was turned into a study for Stevie while Hermione’s overflowing bedroom became an organised and pretty space that they love.
The mum and daughter went on to clear out another skip full of items since filming the first show for the new series.
Nick told Sarah her house was worth an estimated £50,000 more “just by decluttering your stuff and redecorating”.
A home Sarah finally adores, 35 years on.
She says: “I’ve never liked the house but I love it now. I’m going to end up on my own at some point because Stevie’s got aspirations to have her own house.
“I’d rather be somewhere I feel safe and I do here.”
- Nick Knowles’ Big House Clearout returns on Channel 5 tonight at 8pm.
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