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Episode 1

Episode 1 of 40

Jay Blades and the team restore a leather handbag, a wooden Noah’s Ark and a wartime doll called Mary-Lynn.

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

First to be welcomed into the barn is Sandie Ennis, with a handbag that belonged to her late mother. The perfect project for leather expert Suzie Fletcher, this bag was the first thing Sandie’s mother, Carmen, bought when she emigrated from the West Indies to the UK in the 1960s. It symbolised an exciting new start, and Carmen treasured it. Sandie calls it ‘the bag of hopes and dreams’. She played dress-up with it as a child and is guilty of some of the extensive damage. It bears a large hole, the lining is ripped, the stitching is failing, and the leather is dry and cracked. Suzie must completely dismantle the various sections before reinforcing, restitching and nourishing this item if Sandy’s dreams of using it herself are to come true.

Gordon Barnes has come to the workshop to see if Dominic Chinea and Will Kirk can repair a custom-made wooden windmill in the shape of Noah’s Ark. Originally hand-built by Gordon’s grandfather, it entertained him and his late brother on their trips to their grandparents in the school holidays. As the wind blows and the propeller turns, various animals should poke their heads in and out of the ark, but with only one wooden blade remaining, the animals haven’t moved for many years. Gordon was left the windmill after his grandparents died 20 years ago, and he put it up on the garage roof so his children could enjoy it. However, gales blew it off and left it bashed and broken. Will and Dom must divide and conquer to bring this charming structure back to life.

Finally, soft toy and doll restorers Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchell are delighted to meet Jane Devereux, her granddaughter Millie and a precious doll called Mary-Lynn. A gift from Jane’s father when he returned from the Second World War, Mary-Lynn was treasured from the moment Jane set eyes on her, and now Millie shares that same love. However, Mary-Lynn is in her dotage and desperately in need of the specialist care that only Julie and Amanda can provide. Her face is chipped and scratched, her hands and feet are damaged, her hair is matted, and her pretty dress is ripped. It's a major undertaking for the bear ladies.

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44 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jay Blades
Narrator Bill Paterson
Expert Suzie Fletcher
Expert William Kirk
Expert Dominic Chinea
Expert Julie Tatchell
Expert Amanda Middleditch
Director Rich Merritt
Series Producer Rebecca McLaughlin
Series Producer Tanveer Bari
Executive Producer Alex Raw
Production Company Ricochet Ltd

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