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Enter a workshop filled with expert craftspeople, bringing loved pieces of family history and the memories they hold back to life. A heartwarming antidote to throwaway culture.
Season 13 - Episode 15
First in the barn is Sarah Ruffle and her son James. She’s hoping toy restorers Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch can work wonders on her childhood bear Teddy Greeves. Born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, Sarah has been in and out of hospital her whole life, and Teddy Greeves has been with her every step of the way, even accompanying her into the operating theatre. Now showing many signs of wear and tear, including a bandage across his tummy where he has no fur and the loss of his entire face, Julie and Amanda set to work to breathe new life into 53-year-old Teddy, ensuring he can stay by Sarah’s side for many years to come.
Next to arrive are friends from Yorkshire, both called John, who’ve brought a commemorative serviette of one of Britain’s worst mining disasters. The pair, both ex-miners themselves, have a dishevelled serviette marking the West Stanley pit disaster of 1909 in which 168 people lost their lives. The duo have a collection of mining memorabilia which they use when talking to schoolchildren about the history and heritage of the industry. The serviette is typical of the items made available to buy at benefits after such disasters in the early 1900s, this being the only way to raise funds for the families who lost loved ones. Tragically, children as young as 13 lost their lives whilst working underground during the accident.
The delicate crepe paper serviette has been partly eaten away by insects, and what remains is incredibly delicate. Both ex-miners would like to it be made robust enough to survive so that its important history can go on - and be displayed back in West Stanley. Paper conservator Angelina Bakalarou has the job of getting the serviette in one piece once again.
Next is Angela Douglas from the Black Isle in Scotland, with a family heirloom for the attention of horologist Steve Fletcher. The Dutch clock, believed to date back to the 17th century, was a treasured possession of her late father, Peter, a larger-than-life character who sadly passed away in 2020 at the age of 89. His fascination with the clock and its link to their family history has passed onto Angela and her three siblings, and their research into the clock and family tree has brought them all together, despite living across the globe. Steve sets to work to see if he can get the clock ticking again, keeping Peter’s memory alive for future generations.
Finally, violin maker and restorer Becky Houghton has returned to the barn to help 13-year-old Savanna and her mum, Adelajda, save a musical monument to their family’s war-torn past. The violin was originally owned by Savanna’s great-grandfather's sister Maria, who lived in Poland before she had to abandon the instrument and her home.
In early September 1939, at the outbreak of WW2, Maria and her family had to flee the Germans. Maria had to leave this violin at home, as she could only take the essentials. Sadly, she did not survive that war, and Savanna’s great-grandfather Josef kept it as a keepsake of his sister. He gave it to his daughter, who gave it to her daughter, and then to Savanna. To get the violin back in working order, Becky must repair the fingerboard which has become completely adrift after decades of wear, before she must then tackle the strings and tailpiece.
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Thank you,
skorpion.
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