The Repair Shop 255x12 - Episode 12

First into the barn are Keith and his daughter Kirsty, whohave brought a cleverly designed accessory that requires theskills of resident horologist Steve Fletcher. Keith's fatherDesmond went blind in his thirties due to a hereditary diseasethat runs in the family called Stickler syndrome. Desmond neverlet his condition stop him and retrained in his field so hecould continue his career in engineering and welding afterbecoming blind. Upon retirement, after 21 years of loyalservice, Desmond was presented with a personally engravedbraille watch from his company and wore it every day for over30 years. Steve takes on a new challenge with the watch,making a hinged case so that the glass top can be opened, andthe wearer can feel the braille dial to tell the time. Keithand Kirsty want to repair the watch in honour of Desmond'sinspiring resilience and to pass it onto Keith's granddaughterand Kirsty's daughter Phoebe, who is also blind.Next in arebrother and sister Zaff and Nasari, with an item holdinglong-buried memories of their family's life in Uganda. Thesiblings need help from electrical expert Mark Stuckey withtheir father's vintage projector, which was used to showcasefamily videos. When their family was forced to flee the countryin 1972, Zaff and Nasari's father brought the preciousprojector with them to Rochdale, where they eventually rebuilttheir lives. After almost half a century of being unused, Zaffand Nasari hope to restore the projector to working condition.Allowing them to relive never-before-seen treasured memories oftheir childhood in Uganda.Noodworker Will Kirk welcomes ZoeBlake-James and her grandmother Rowan, with a family heirloomthat has been passed down four generations of women in theBlake-James family, making it over 130 years old. The vintagefire screen originally belonged to Rowan's grandmother, andshe has fond childhood memories of it being used in the familyliving room. Zoë is a student of Victorian literature and hasa great passion for researching this era and her family'shistory. The pair would love to preserve the fire screen forfuture generations. Will gets cracking with the wooden frameand enlists the help of textiles conservationist RebeccaBissonnet to tackle the delicate embroidered screen.The finalpair to walk through the barn doors are celebrated veteransinger-songwriter Ralph McTell and his friend Matthew. Theyneed the expertise of leather expert Suzie Fletcher to helprepair a tattered old toy that has been earmarked for arevival. Ralph was involved in a children's programme calledAlphabet Zoo in the 80s, where he wrote a song for everyletter of the alphabet. A friend gave him the leather kangarooas a gift to celebrate the song Kenny The Kangaroo. As aresult, Kenny appeared on stage with Ralph at venues like theRoyal Festival Hall. Ralph met Matthew at his local pub. Aswell as working at the pub, Matthew also works with childrenwith special needs doing music therapy, where he began usingRalph's songs in his class. The children were captivated by thesong Kenny The Kangaroo. Ralph was moved by this and offered todonate his leather friend to the school, but it cannot beenjoyed by the children in its current condition. Suzie has herwork cut out in repairing this 70s stuffed toy from downunder, whose once robust leather is now cracked and split.When the pair return, they are delighted to see Suzie has beenable to get Kenny leaping back into action again, so Matthewcan use him in his therapy sessions with the children.