By Jonathan Traynor
DERRY YouTube sensation, Adam Beales, sprung the surprise of a lifetime on his parents this week as he presented them with a new house on Friday, before uploading the big reveal to his YouTube channel yesterday (Saturday).
More than a year in the planning Adam, known as Adam B online, managed to keep it a secret from his mum and dad Edelle and Paul.
However, the whole scheme nearly collapsed with the Covid-19 lockdown. Adam had signed the final papers on the house the day before lockdown was announced but couldn’t press ahead with his surprise.
This week he was finally ready for the big reveal: “Just this week, with the property market opening back up again across the UK, I enquired with the local council and government to see if what I was planning to do, was allowed at this stage. Thankfully, it was.”
The 20-year-old YouTube star has amassed more than 2.7 million subscribers to his channel but is conscious that this purchase shouldn’t be seen as an extravagance in these times.
“I don’t want people to get the wrong ideas that this house was just bought on a whim by some obnoxious vlogger during times like these,” Adam explained.
“This has been in the pipeline for quite some time now and it just so happens that the surprise takes place during these crazy times.
“However, I do hope people can see that it was quite a long, up and down journey to eventually hand over the keys to my parents.”
Earlier this month Adam gave away more than £1,000 to people in need who contacted him on his Twitter feed.
“I love getting involved with good causes and I’m fortunate to be in a position where I can help others. I’ve some charity work in the planning at the minute and I’m just itching to get telling people about these fantastic causes that make such a massive difference in people’s lives.”
Adam’s parents had been considering a move for some time after floating the idea in 2018.
“They then started looking at houses and viewing houses in January of 2019,” he explained, adding: “However, with COVID-19, they haven’t really been on looking for new houses which sort of made me a bit nervous because by the stage the pandemic hit – the house was already bought and I was thinking, ‘what if they’ve changed their mind?’.”
Deciding on the exact house wasn’t an issue said Adam: “They viewed a lot of houses, really, quite a lot. But this was the one that stood out to them.”
For a number of years Adam has been garnering more and more YouTube subscribers, as well as more than 500,000 followers on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok with his witty pranks and sketches
He is thankful to his parents for helping him pursue his dream.
“They understood the passion that I had for YouTube and kept motivating me to strive for more, Adam explained. “I guess what really meant so much to me, is that they believed in me.
“It would have been easy for them to encourage me to stop YouTube and pursue university in fear that YouTube may not work out. However, they believed in me and my decision and welcomed it with open arms. I am so, so thankful. And I’m incredibly grateful that I can help them.”
And, what a help.
“The house I bought for them was actually a brand, new show home in a new development, Adam said. “It has all the mod-cons and everything is in pristine condition.”
“It’s still a 4-bedroom house so they’re not downsizing or upsizing from their last home.
“It was the only house that made my mum and dad’s jaw drop. I knew the second I saw their faces when they were viewing the house that this was the one.
Now that they know, one member of the family is already excited about settling in.
“I think the biggest feature that my little brother will love is the internet speed,” he said. “This new home has 100x faster broadband than the house my parents were living in so no doubt, there will be no more freezes or lagging when Callum is playing Fortnite.”
It wasn’t easy for Adam to keep the surprise under wraps.
“This has been the hardest secret to keep in my entire life,” he said “I’m so close to my family so I tell them everything that’s going on. This was the only time where I had to keep something so big to myself.
“Usually, my mum and dad know when I’m hiding something, but they had no clue that a house was in the process of being bought behind their backs. I’m so glad the news is out because it is so nerve-racking trying to hold in such a big surprise for so long.”
With the Covid-19 pandemic Adam is keen to express his thanks to all who are working in these daunting times, and that he is undertaking this purchase within the current rules.
“The true heroes out there are the people working in the NHS and the frontlines, helping to save lives, keep the country running, and the least we all can do was to stay home,” he said.
“The stay at home message was, and still is, loud and clear so I just had to wait until I got further news from the local council and government for when it was safe to do so. “
Now Adam and his family are set to organise move in.
“With local authorities’ advice, and adhering to the social distancing rules,” he explained. “We are going to rent a van ourselves so no one is helping us and therefore mitigating the risk of spreading the virus.
“However, I think my mum and dad will still be in shock so I have no clue when or what they’re going to move into the new house.”
Adam is leaving the exact date down to his parents, as he said: “It’s their house now so it is up to them. – I think they might need some time for it all to sink in”.
The YouTube star also wanted to express his thanks to everyone who takes the time to follow him online.
“I want to extend my gratitude to everyone who has watched my videos, supported me throughout the years and believed in the hustle,” Adam said. “I hope to continue making good quality family entertainment and I can’t wait to share more news in the coming months.”
On his Facebook page Adam describes what he does that attracts so many subscribers: “a not so funny person trying to be funny”.
“You can catch me doing pranks, challenges, vlogs, Q&A’s, life hacks, gaming, eating food and so much more!”
Check out Adam’s videos on his YouTube channel Adam B.