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Episode 30

Episode 30 of 40

Jay Blades and the team restore a trusty yet rusty tricycle, a wedding photograph album and a Chinese porcelain figurine.

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

Bicycle restorer Tim Gunn is the first to receive his project - a trusty yet rusty tricycle, wheeled in by Dorothea Stevenson and her daughter Katie. Father Christmas delivered it to Dorothea over 60 years ago, and it has been enjoyed by generations of children. She remembers those halcyon days of whizzing around the back yard with cousins, and as the years passed, it was used by her own children, nieces and nephews. However, all the overzealous pedalling has taken its toll. The front forks are bent, the saddle is crumbling, and the frame is rust-ridden and scuffed. Dorothea and Katie would love Tim to refurbish it so the newest addition to the family, baby Bronte, can also experience the joy the tricycle brings. Suzie tackles the saddle and replaces the missing saddlebag, while Tim goes all out to revive the treasured trike.

Elayne Gardner is next to arrive at the barn, with her parents’ wedding album. The album was created in the early 1960s and is now very frail, so Elayne hopes bookbinder Chris Shaw can rescue it. Her parents met and fell in love in Jamaica, and came to the UK with many others as part of the Windrush Generation. They were devoted to each other for over 50 years and, now that her mother has passed away and her father suffers from dementia, Elayne feels it’s important for the entire family to preserve this book so that it can live on. The cover is missing, electrical tape holds much of it together, and Elayne is concerned that the beautiful photographs of her beloved parents on their special day will no longer be protected.

The final visitor brings a treat for ceramics specialist Kirsten Ramsay - a Chinese porcelain figurine of a Buddhist goddess. The proud owner is Mickey Adagra, who grew up in Mumbai and spent every holiday with his aunt and uncle in the countryside. This unusual figurine fascinated him as a boy due to a special feature - when filled with water, drips fall from her hand into the mouth of awaiting carp fish at her feet. She was gifted to him when he was an adult, but sadly by that time she had sustained several injuries, including a detached feeding hand. She has remained damaged for over 50 years, but Kirsten is just as charmed by her as Mickey is.

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43 minutes

Audio described

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jay Blades
Narrator Bill Paterson
Expert Suzie Fletcher
Expert Christopher Shaw
Expert Tim Gunn
Expert Kirsten Ramsay
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.