Description:
Enter a workshop filled with expert craftspeople, bringing loved pieces of family history and the memories they hold back to life. A heartwarming antidote to throwaway culture.
Season 14 - Episode 10
First through the workshop doors is Ben, with an unusual item needing a joint crusade to get it back on its feet. Silversmith Brenton West, woodworker Will Kirk and leather expert Suzie Fletcher collaborate to bring this suit of armour back to life. Dubbed ‘Arthur’, it belonged to Ben’s grandfather, actor Joss Ackland, and is believed to have been gifted to him as a parting gift after the 1973 film The Three Musketeers. The suit of armour stood guard in the room that Ben slept in when staying over at his grandparents’ house as a young child. He was afraid of it, but they reassured him by saying it was there to protect him. When Joss died at the end of 2023, Ben asked if he could have the suit of armour, and is now keen to have it restored. 'It’s important for me that Arthur’s brought back to life, because it’s part of him.' While Brenton leads the charge, Will tackles the joist, and Suzie focusses on the leather straps. When Ben returns, he’s blown away by the memories brought flooding back by the restored suit of armour.
Next, husband-and-wife-team Walid and Joujou Saad hold the key to the restoration of a precious typewriter brought in by writer Nicola and her father Joe. The pre-war machine belonged to Nicola’s mother, Maureen, who was taught to type on it by her grandmother to land her first job in the 1960s. A year later, Joe got a job at the same company, where the young couple met and fell in love. Nicola says, 'That machine helped her learn the skill to get the job and meet the love of her life.' Sadly, Maureen now has Alzheimer’s, and Nicola is keen to have the typewriter restored, so that she can use it and explain to her own children the important role it played in their grandma’s life. It’s a big degreasing and cleaning task for Team Typewriter, but when dad and daughter return, they are delighted with the restored machine.
Arriving next is a beast of a challenge for stained-glass restorer Matt Nickels. Charlotte’s grandfather made the piece of stained-glass – featuring a stag in the centre – which was installed in the bathroom of the bungalow where he lived. 'It’s always been one of those quirky parts of the house.' Now, Charlotte’s sister lives in the property and is doing it up, but Charlotte is determined to save the stained-glass pane that she remembers from childhood. Will Kirk whips up a teak frame to complement the colourful glass, leaving Charlotte absolutely delighted when she returns.
Last is a pair of boots to get the whole barn moving. Dance teacher Helen has brought in her red and white cowboy boots that embody 30 years of fun on the floor line dancing. Recently, Helen’s heel got stuck in the torn inner lining of one of the boots, and her husband had to cut through its length to release her foot. Helen was horrified. Determined to still be dancing aged 90, she needs her trusty boots back in fine fettle. Cobbler Dean Westmoreland is tasked with getting the boots back in harmony so that the barn team can be taught line dancing by a delighted Helen.
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