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

First to arrive at the barn are cousins David Williams and Jeffrey Lawrence, with a banjo that has been in their music-loving family for over 120 years and is crying out for the exceptional skills of luthier Julyan Wallis. David and Jeffrey’s great-grandfather was the original owner back in the late 1800s. He had a large family, and money was tight, so he and his children would busk for a few extra pennies. The banjo was then passed down through the male line, all of whom played and entertained. For decades, it lifted the spirits of their community in challenging times, but it has lain dormant in a loft for over 60 years, wrapped in a blanket. It’s missing its skin, strings and several tuners, so represents a huge undertaking for Julyan.

Art conservator Lucia Scalisi is faced with an unusual challenge. Victoria Wise has brought in a speedway racing bib that belonged to her daredevil grandfather. He competed in countless motorbike races in the 1930s and 1940s and was something of local legend. Victoria’s father, who recently passed away, was immensely proud of his dad’s achievements and collected memorabilia from his races. Victoria made a promise to her father that she would find a way to preserve this cherished racing vest and continue telling the stories of the family’s speedway hero. The painted number and team artwork on the parched fabric is disintegrating, so Lucia takes care to preserve the bib while retaining its battle scars from the race track.

Finally, Mary Walsh arrives with a frail little rag doll for the TLC of bear repair pair Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchell. The doll doubles as a fabric storybook – each page flips up to reveal the face of a new character and an excerpt from a fairy tale. The rag doll belonged to Mary’s little sister, who died at just four years old. Eleven-year-old Mary was allowed to choose one of her sister’s belongings to keep as a reminder, and she chose this doll, which has been at her side for over 40 years now, helping her through further challenging times. However, it has become threadbare in places and is only just hanging in there. Fortunately, Amanda and Julie come to the rescue.