The Repair Shop

S07:E42 - Jewish Prayer Book, Transatlantic Radio, Egg Chair

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life. Today's first arrival at the barn is a not just a cherished family possession but also an account of survival in the face of adversity. This Jewish Prayer book belonged Gary Fisher's Austrian grandparents Emanuel and Gisela, unable to leave Austria after it was annexed by Germany in 1938 they were eventually sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp. Though many of Gary's family didn't survive the camps, at the end of the war Emanuel and Gisela were liberated along with the book. Signed by many of the camps other residents, it's an important record of the era and a treasured family possession. This delicate restoration and conservation project is in the hands of the barn's book expert Chris Shaw, who will need all of his book binding skills to preserve this unique and treasured item. Mark Stuckey's audio expertise will be tested by the barn's next arrival - an ageing and very damaged radio brought in by Geoff Allum and his wife Jane. This radio is showing all the signs of a wild adventure on which it accompanied Geoff and his late cousin Donald. In 1971 they set off in a 2-man rowing boat to cross the Atlantic from East to West. It took them just over 73 days in all, and as well as giving them a link to the world, this radio was a vital tool in their adventure. With just a sextant for navigation, listening to the BBC World Service gave Geoff and Don an accurate time of day to help them establish their location, and so to chart their progress across the Atlantic and allow them to work out for how long they would need to preserve and ration their precious stores of fresh water. Though the radio is badly damaged and hasn't worked for many years, Geoff is hoping Mark's expertise may mean he can one day hear it playing again.Finally to arrive at the barn, a stylish futuristic mid-century chair brought in by Tracy Dodds and her daughter Florrie. The chair was bought in the 1970s by her father Guy, a keen follower of fashion and design, and immediately a young Tracy fell in love with it. Not only was it an enclosed egg design finished in striking white with red upholstery but inside it held a hidden secret to the delight of Tracy and her siblings - a set of speakers which would envelope the sitter in the sounds of their dad's favourite Elvis tracks. Sadly the speakers haven't work for nearly 30 years and the chair itself is showing its age with the shell and upholstery deteriorating. To revive this stunning piece back to its best it will need a combination of the talents of the barn's upholstery expert Sonnaz Nooranvary and electronics whizz Mark Stuckey.