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Episode 26

Episode 26 of 40

Jay Blades and the team tackle a refugee family's wooden trunk, a memorial trophy and a gyroscopic toy cyclist.

Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.

Metal expert Dominic Chinea and wood restorer Will Kirk have the rare opportunity to work on a wooden travel trunk, used by a family of Polish refugees as they travelled the globe looking for a permanent place to call home. They eventually voyaged to Britain aboard the Empire Windrush in 1948, with all their possessions kept in the trunk.

Gil and Sue Duffy from Worcestershire have a precious parcel for the attention of ceramics expert Kirsten Ramsay. The glass and resin trophy was created in honour of their daughter Krissy, who died at just 31 years of age. She was a keen horsewoman and classic car racing driver. An unfortunate accident caused a large section of glass to snap off the trophy, the resin horse head to fall off and the wooden plinth to get scuffed. Will helps with the plinth and sets about crafting a bespoke travel case to keep the trophy safe, while Kirsten has the tricky task of gluing the substantial glass pieces together.

Clockwork guru and vintage toy enthusiast Steve Fletcher is captivated when Martin and Richard Scott, from Lincolnshire, arrive bearing a 1940s toy gyroscope complete with the original box. The little plastic cyclist should pedal his bike when a cord is pulled, but he stalled 70 years ago and hasn’t got going since. His plastic limbs and body are disintegrating and both the front wheel and mechanism are broken. Steve comes up with an ingenious plan to get this plucky cyclist back on his bike and race ready.

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43 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jay Blades
Narrator Bill Paterson
Executive Producer Hannah Lamb
Executive Producer Rob Butterfield
Executive Producer Emma Walsh
Series Producer Helen Page
Series Producer Tanveer Bari

Broadcast

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If you have a treasured possession that needs restoring, please get in touch.