麻豆约拍

The expert restoration team bring three treasured family heirlooms back from the brink.

The day鈥檚 first arrival is Yatish from Leicester, who has brought along his father鈥檚 80-year-old camera, originally used by the family when they lived in Uganda. Yatish鈥檚 father and uncle set up a photography business as young lads, but in the early 1970s, dictator Idi Amin expelled Asian citizens from the country, forcing the family to flee. Along with many others, Yatish鈥檚 family fled to the UK. They arrived with very few possessions, but this trusty camera allowed them to set up a photography company in the UK. Yatish now runs the family business, and his dream is to use this beloved camera once again. It provides a link to his heritage and symbolises his family鈥檚 triumph over adversity. Brenton West gives the scuffed, malfunctioning camera a total overhaul so that Yatish can start snapping.

Next is Juliet, daughter of the popular children鈥檚 author Dick King-Smith. She is the custodian of her late father鈥檚 childhood stuffed toy rabbit, Wilfred. The toy was gifted to him when he was an infant and is now nearly a century old. Wilfred sat in Dick鈥檚 study for decades, looking on as he wrote over 100 children鈥檚 books, most of which featured animals. One of these was The Sheep Pig, which was later adapted into the film Babe. Teddy bear ladies Julie and Amanda tackle the holes, bald patches and missing features and pull out all the stops to bring back Wilfred鈥檚 bounce.

Finally, leather specialist Suzie Fletcher welcomes Arwel from Anglesey. Tucked under his arm is the draughts board that entertained his close-knit family in rural Wales back in the 1950s. They had no electricity, and Arwel tells of endless evenings of family tournaments lit by gaslight. Now, he would love to share the same experience with his grandchildren, using this original draughts board. Suzie tackles the leather-bound chequerboard, while David Burville creates replica wooden players to replace those that are missing.