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Episode 30

Jay Blades and the team restore a Victorian kaleidoscope, a carved wooden bench that plays a tune, and a pair of military mementoes belonging to an extraordinary soldier.

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

Music box maestro Stephen Kember is on hand to welcome an unusual item into the barn - a wooden bench from Switzerland, with two carved bears proudly standing sentinel on either side, that plays a tune when sat upon. This much-loved bench has been in owner Gill Hawkins’s family since 1950, when her parents brought it back from a holiday in the Alps, and it has kept several generations of her family entertained ever since. But the bench no longer plays its tune, and the bears are faded, battered and looking their age. While Stephen tackles the musical mechanism, furniture restorer Will Kirk takes on the challenge of reviving the woodwork, starting with a bit of bear dentistry!

Master saddle-maker Suzie Fletcher is called upon to repair a pair of military mementoes owned by a remarkable soldier who served in both world wars. Chris Adams has brought the items to the barn: a helmet that saw action in the First World War and a set of leather spurs dating from the Second World War. The helmet and spurs belonged to Chris’s grandfather. Jay and Suzie are left almost lost for words as Chris describes how the helmet saved his grandfather’s life at Gallipoli. With the weight of history heavy on her shoulder, Suzie feels a great responsibility to breathe new life back into these precious items.

Lastly, mechanical maestro Steve Fletcher is tasked with the restoration of an old Victorian kaleidoscope.

29 minutes

Last on

Thu 11 Aug 2022 14:30

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Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jay Blades
Narrator Robert Pugh

Broadcast

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