The Repair Shop

S05:E48 - Banana Barrow, Paddle Wallet, Fire Engine

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring four treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life. First to test the craftmanship of expert Dominic Chinea is Jacqui Clark, with an item that used to turn heads on the high streets of Kent over 100 years ago…..a mini banana barrow! Jacqui's grandfather was the first to wholesale bananas in the UK and was known as The Banana King - a title that was then passed to her father. The barrow was made to promote these curious fruits and has been treasured by the family for decades. However it's now rather dilapidated and when Jacqui's father passed away, she made a pledge to have the funny little barrow repaired. Dom calls on the expertise of master wheelwright Greg Rowland to craft new wooden wheels using ancient techniques. Dom gives the barrow a new paint job and with a lick of oil in all the right places gets it rolling again. Andrew Gorrie from Lancashire is hoping leatherwork expert Suzie Fletcher can save a fragile memento with an extraordinary history. The wallet was used by Andrew's airman father to paddle the life raft to safety, when he was shot down in the North Atlantic during WW2. It is cherished by Andrew as it's one of the few things he has of his much loved father but the wallet is crumbling and desperate to be rescued itself. Suzie carefully unpicks the tiny stitches and dismantles it before cleaning, strengthening it and then painstakingly restitching it back together by hand. And a miniature symbol of a big family tradition is delivered by John McColl from Glasgow, for Silversmith Brenton West. The brass replica fire engine was presented to John's great grandfather for his contribution to the Glasgow Fire Brigade in 1907. Three generations of the McColl family have served as firemen in the city and John feels it's his duty to have the model restored in their memory. Brenton sets to work repairing the tiny moving parts and crafting any missing details, working tirelessly until it is ready for service again.