The Repair Shop

S04:E28 - Bagpipes, Welsh Crown, Tortoise Bell

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life. First through the barn doors is a broken and battered set of bagpipes, currently owned by Des Allan, but originally belonging to Des's grandfather, who served as a piper and a soldier in the Royal Scots. Des knows his grandfather was involved on the frontline during the early years of World War One, but it has never been clear whether the pipes went with him into the trenches. Bagpipe restorer Blue MacMurchie is on hand, along with his son John, to breathe new life back into the precious pipes. And Blue has some important news for Des about the history of the bagpipes that sheds a whole new light on their patriotic past.Silversmith Brenton West is on hand to welcome another precious item into the barn – a silver Eisteddfod crown, brought into the Repair Shop by Ross Hendry. The crown was awarded to Ross's grandmother when she was just 15, for wowing the judges at Wales's most important cultural festival with her poetry recitation skills. The crown has been dearly treasured ever since, but in its current state it bears little resemblance to its former splendid self – tarnished and bent out of shape, it is quite unwearable. Brenton sets to work to get it looking royally splendid again, with a little help from Bear Ladies Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch.And clockwork genius Steve Fletcher takes on the repair of a quirky tortoise-shaped bell, that sat for years on the counter of a family-run butchers'shop. Sadly, the bell hasn't rung in decades, and it falls to Steve to work out why. He's as surprised as anyone when his first job turns out to befashioning the tortoise a brand new tail – a first, even for a man of Steve's experience!