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.
Episode 27
Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.
Loona Hazarika from London is first to arrive with an Indian dancing doll that he would love ceramics expert Kirsten Ramsay and clockwork king Steve Fletcher to work on. The figurine comes in four fragile pieces connected together with wires, and when touched she gives a little wiggle. Loona is the custodian of this pretty performer, but she originally belonged to his neighbour, a wonderful woman called Florence. Florence was like a surrogate granny to Loona and his sister. Both children loved her company and Florence had them transfixed each time she cajoled the doll to dance, but now the doll is not as spritely as she once was. She has chipped paintwork, a broken arm and an imbalanced body.
Music box master Steve Kember and silversmith Brenton West are called upon to work their wonders on a musical menorah, lit every year to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. Hilary Stelling and her brother would take turns to wind it up and sing along to the traditional tune. However, overzealous winding by the children meant the musical mechanism broke, and for the last 40 years it has been silent and increasingly tarnished and bent. Hilary yearns to hear it again and light the candles with her family this Hanukkah.
The final collaboration of the day is with wood expert Will Kirk and metal maestro Dom Chinea. They breathe new life into a handmade sewing box that symbolises the love and respect between a special couple. Sue Tetlow’s talented father made it for his wife as a wedding gift and Sue’s mum treasured the box. Sue has lost both parents now and would love to use the box herself, but it is so broken and damaged that she has been reluctant to even touch. Will and Dom do their best to make it fit for purpose again.
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skorpion.
