The Repair Shop (2017–…): Season 12, Episode 7 - Windrush Special - full transcript
Marking the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush to the UK, the barn fixes four items that celebrate the contribution of the Windrush generation.
Welcome to The Repair Shop...
Oh, my goodness!
..where precious
but faded keepsakes...
That is proper crushed.
..are restored to their
former glory.
Zhushing! Zhushing!
Could I get finished now, please?
Yes!
A dream team of expert
craftspeople...
I'm absolutely chuffed to bits.
Fantastic! Brilliant!
Yes! Look at that!
..using traditional techniques
passed down the generations...
Perfecto.
It's almost magic.
Nothing better
than a plan that works.
..restore irreplaceable treasures...
Oh, my God! Look at that!
It's perfect.
..and unlock the stories they hold.
BELL DINGS
Happy tears.
It feels more magical.
I just want to hug everybody!
Nice one. See you later.
See you, Mark.
Nice, hot cup of tea. Do you know
what? I'm still on my first mug.
Morning. How we doing? Morning.
All right? Yeah. Good. Good.
Busy day.
A very busy day and a good day.
It's all about Windrush today.
Yes. You got any connection?
My grandparents came over
in that generation, yeah.
Same here. My grandmother came over
and went into the nursing, um,
is what she studied in Barbados
and then came over here, started
working.
There you go, then. We've got some
really beautiful items coming in
and they really mean a lot to that
generation, the Windrush generation.
In 1948, the Empire Windrush
was one of the first ships
to bring large numbers of people
from the Caribbean
to a post-war Britain
desperate for workers.
Over the next two decades,
it's estimated that
over half a million followed.
Amongst them were the parents
of Beverly Dixon from London.
She's hoping bookbinder Chris Shaw
can restore a document
that played a pivotal role
in her family's history,
as it did for so many.
Hello, Beverly. How are you doing?
Very well, thank you. Good.
What have you brought us?
Let's have a look.
I've brought my dad's passport.
You can see just faintly the words
"British Passport", "Jamaica".
What's Dad's name?
His name is Edgar Alfonso White.
OK. You can see it.
Just the E. I can see "Mr E".
Yes, "Mr E".
So it was issued in '48?
Yes. It's the same year... Yeah.
..that the Empire Windrush docked
in Tilbury.
1948, yeah. Goodness me.
If you turn the page...
..you can see that he was
a British subject by birth.
God, look. The British Empire.
Goodness me.
Yes. It must have been tough
in Jamaica at that time as well.
Yes. Yes, Jamaica
and other Caribbean islands.
It was difficult for young people
to find work. Right.
You know, Mum and Dad,
I remember in one of their stories,
they used to walk along the beach
and they had a special place
where they used to plan
for the future... Wow.
..on the hill, you know,
under the ackee tree... Wow.
..to talk about,
OK, we're going to go to Britain,
we're going to work hard,
we're going to build a family.
And of course, Britain was calling
for people from the colonies
to rebuild the motherland.
You can see it here,
it was 1950
when he travelled to Britain.
I think he travelled
on the SS Eros.
What age was your dad
when he travelled here?
24 years old. So a young man.
Still a young man.
Good fortune happened for Dad
because he met a Welsh family
through the church,
who took him under their wing.
This family were called
Mr and Mrs Bland. OK.
And Mrs Bland dipped into her purse
and gave Dad the fare
for Mum to come from Jamaica
to Britain.
Whoa. That's nice, isn't it?
It's a wonderful, wonderful story.
Wow. Mum came over in 1951
on the SS Colombie.
What's Mum's name?
Her name was Rubina
and they were married in 1952
in St John's Church in Brixton.
Just talking about it makes me
feel quite, quite emotional.
You know, immediately I can see
Mum and Dad together,
planning for their future.
How old is Dad now?
He's 97. Wow! Wow!
So...
THEY CHUCKLE
97! Cor blimey!
He would open it up and see himself
as a younger man
and that would usually trigger...
A memory.
..a memory and a story. Wow.
It's such an important document.
Without it, Dad wouldn't have been
able to build a life here.
So we...
We have to celebrate the fact
that Mum and Dad came to Britain.
We stand on their shoulders.
They are the foundation
and we build from there.
And in the future, the grandchildren
will be able to tell their story.
Yeah.
So it would be great to see it
in better condition.
Right. You know, this is worn. Yeah.
The issue number
and definitely his name. Yeah.
So you would like this to look
like the day that it was issued?
I'd love it to look like that, yeah.
Thank you for bringing this in.
Personally, I can't wait to see
what you would do to this. Yeah.
I can't wait... It's a lot
of pressure! It is, yeah.
I look forward to seeing it.
Me, too.
Thank you. All right. Bye bye.
Take care, now. Bye bye. Bye.
Ships commonly called
at several Caribbean ports
before crossing the Atlantic,
so passengers had endured
long spells at sea
by the time they got to Britain.
Tickets for the journey
were expensive,
representing a big investment
in the hope of getting a good job.
I've never actually worked
on a passport.
Fascinated on how
it's actually constructed.
It's all coming away
because it's got damp.
All these creases are due to the
fact that damp has affected the glue
and that's why it's come away.
So to repair it,
I need to separate the cover
and then I'll be able
to reinforce that.
I am very curious
about this little gunky thing
and I'm hoping that if I can remove
that, it will then expose the crest.
It's come away beautifully.
I'm using just basically water.
I'm hoping that's
all it's going to take to come off.
I think it's just going
to come off with...
It is.
It is a sort of a paper.
It's very, very satisfying,
after all these years
being covered up.
You can see the crest.
It's just fantastic.
My next task,
I'm going to remove this board
and then eventually replace it
with some new board.
And that will get rid of all
these unsightly creases.
Keithly Brandy from Manchester
has a keepsake
that also made the momentous journey
from the Caribbean.
He wants leatherwork specialist
Suzie Fletcher
to repair it for one final voyage.
Hello. Hello. Hello. How you doing?
Not too bad, thank you.
It's nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you as well.
It looks like you're ready to go
on a journey. Where are you going?
The journey is the grip, actually.
I haven't heard it called that
for a long time.
My mum used to say, "Take down the
grip from the top of the wardrobe."
Yeah, yeah. The grip? The suitcase
is called a grip because
you're gripping it. Oh, OK, yeah.
You're gripping the handle.
So this belonged to Mum? Yeah.
This would have been the case
with all her worldly possessions
for her journey to Southampton
from the island of Nevis
in the Caribbean.
One case? One case, one grip.
And what year was this? 1956.
Part of the Windrush generation.
What is Mum's name?
Mum's name is Locita Brandy.
She would have come over
with my dad.
His name was Osborne Brandy.
They were in their twenties.
The journey was not
a pleasant journey for her
because the seas was rough.
They were in the belly
of the ship.
They were second-class citizens as
such, if not third-class citizens.
So food, I mean,
how did they get by with...?
My mum did say that
they did bring journey cakes.
Yeah, a journey cake.
So it's like flour, water,
a bit of butter
mixed together into a dough,
they would fry that and
that would last a long time.
OK. It's like your little sandwich.
Yeah.
I'm just looking at this
and thinking,
how did she decide what to put in
the case for an unknown journey?
You packed the bare essentials
so that you can get by.
And then when she got to England,
she then embarked
on the other journey
in trying to find accommodation
and she wanted to go into teaching.
And there was resentments that
kept them at a specific level,
so she could only go for cleaning
jobs and stuff like that. OK.
But she was adamant that she was
going to reach a certain level
that suited her own intellect,
as such. She became a social worker
and then a councillor
for the local area as well.
Yeah. Always helping other people.
And she was recognised by
Tony Blair... The Prime Minister?
..the Prime Minister,
for her achievements
within the local community.
That must have been a proud moment
for the family, though. Yeah.
Proud moment for the community,
not just for the family. Yeah.
She would have loved to be here,
but because of her health,
it's slightly deteriorating,
I'm here to represent my mum.
It's all about my mum and her grip.
Yeah.
Mum's going back to Nevis.
She wants to see her brother
that's got dementia.
And as it's something
that reminds her of back home,
it would be nice for her
to take back with her,
using that as part
of her luggage as well.
So what's actually wrong
with the case?
The catch here,
it's not staying down.
It flicks open every now and again.
Do you mind if I look inside...
Go ahead.
..and see what's going on here?
So the lining is becoming detached,
so we could certainly tidy that up.
Would that be OK? Anything
to help it stay together. Yeah.
I mean, Mum did say, you know,
it's nice to keep its
authenticity... Yes. ..as well.
Thank you so much for bringing
this in and telling us about Mum.
Thank you very much.
You take care now.
All right. Thank you very much.
Bye bye. Bye.
Wow. it needs a little bit of TLC
to get ready for a journey.
Definitely. And it's in the
right hands. Wow. Thank you.
I can't wait to get started.
Enjoy.
I'm feeling like the actual
structure of the case
has been compromised
during that journey.
This is made from card
that's covered with a fabric
to look like leather.
And probably, as it was sort of
slid along the floor,
it's actually broken
the stitching in various areas,
particularly on the corners here.
If I open the inside,
we have this original lining paper.
In order for me to be able
to strengthen the structure
of the case,
all of this has to be removed
in a complete piece
with the mind to reuse it once I've
got that new structure in place.
So I'm going to try and reactivate
the glue here using heat.
It's one of those things,
you don't know what's going
to happen until you try.
Chris has discovered the cloth cover
of the British passport
is far flimsier
than it first appeared,
so he's adjusting his plans.
My thought process now is,
I'm going to back it on
to some new leather-effect cloth
and that's going to give it
all the strength.
And very fortunately,
I've found some that is
a remarkable colour match,
so I'm going to glue it on
and I'm hoping that these creases
will start to go.
I'm going to give it a quick press
with some blotting paper
to start with.
Pop it in the nipping press
and then just leave it
as long as possible.
And then I'm hoping
that it would have stuck.
Now I can have a bit of fun
cutting the boards to size
and cutting that hole.
What I'm going to do
is just basically use
the original as a template.
Pencil and ruler...
..and I think I'll be away.
I'm really lucky that the 5p
is the perfect stencil.
I'm really happy.
It's not going to fall to pieces.
Looked after, it's going to be
around for hundreds of years.
Now, I've got the exciting bit,
when it starts becoming
more like a passport.
I'm going to start
cutting out these holes
and then I'm going to marry up
the new board on the back
and then stick it on.
So I've now got the text block
of the passport, the official bit.
You can see on the inside,
if you open the page,
the sewing is exposed.
I'm going to put a tiny little piece
of Japanese tissue along this edge
and that will help support the paper
and keep it all nice and strong.
Japanese tissue,
for the weight of the paper,
it is exceptionally strong.
I'm going to glue a bit of paste
along the edge.
Just make sure that
it's gone into all of the cracks.
Once this is dry,
I can then do this to the front.
Dorcas Cain and her brother,
Stephen,
have travelled to the barn
from Birmingham
with a cherished reminder
of their parents' determination
to make a new life in Britain.
It needs Steve Fletcher's
horology expertise.
Hello. Hello.
How are we doing? Good, thank you.
Are you OK? I'm very good.
Can't complain.
So what have you got for us, then?
Carefully wrapped up.
Very well protected.
This clock belonged to my parents,
Herman and Keturah Brown. Yeah.
Mum and Dad come from
the sunny island of Antigua.
Dad came in March of 1960
and Mum came in the September.
In the Caribbean, they grew up
seeing the Queen, head of state,
and they saw England
as somewhere that they belonged.
What was life like for them here?
I think they came here with ideas of
what they thought it was going to be
and I think they were surprised
to find what it actually was. Yeah.
So when a lot of our Caribbean
Windrush generation came here
and were not welcomed
in English congregations,
they had no choice but to start
their own
because they wanted
to continue to worship.
So Dad became a church leader
very soon after arriving
in Birmingham
and he pastored a church
for well over 40 years.
They faced a lot of adversity. Yeah.
Like, you're not welcome. Yeah.
Mum and Dad, well,
a lot of Caribbean people
simply couldn't get credit,
bank loans to furnish their houses,
so they worked and they saved.
And the clock is one of
the first items
that they brought
to furnish their room.
They didn't have a house,
it was a room.
And then when the family started
to come along, it went to two rooms.
After that, they got
their first council house... OK.
..and then we were there until 1981.
And then they were able
to buy their next house
and they owned it
up until the day they passed away.
And this sat on top of the cabinet
in pride of place,
always in the front room.
It used to chime on the hour.
It would chime and we'd know Dad's
coming home,
better go and wash the dishes,
that sort of thing.
Or it was time for bed.
Time for church.
When was the last time
you heard it chiming?
I can hazard a guess,
it's at least a quarter of a century
since it's chimed.
We really would like
to hear the chime
and to just remind us really
of our days growing up
in a house full of love.
It goes a lot deeper
than just a clock. Yeah, yeah.
It's gone through generations.
It's seen a lot.
Yeah.
So for this to be repaired right
now, yeah, it would mean so much.
So it never had
all of this stainage on there?
No, no, no, no. I'm not
sure where this has come from.
I would like to see it looking
brand-spanking new,
as I imagine Mum saw it
in the shop window. Right.
I would like to honour
the Windrush generation.
They came here with nothing,
they came with dreams.
But when they saw
what it actually was,
they stuck at it
in the face of so much hostility.
They've taught us so much
and I'm so proud that I am a product
of the Windrush generation.
Same here. Yeah. Yeah.
Well, thank you for bringing this
in, all right?
You're welcome. You guys take care.
Thank you for having us.
Nice to meet you. Thank you very
much. And you. Nice to meet you.
Thank you. Bye bye.
Take care now. Bye bye.
That's an important story, isn't it?
It really is.
And do you know what?
When they hear it chiming
for the first time, I can't wait.
All right, nice one.
This will be a massive honour
to get this clock repaired
and working properly.
The case is really
quite badly damaged.
I'm going to have to ask Will
if he will have a look at it
and get it back to the condition
that Dorcas would love.
I'm always itching to get inside
a clock mechanism.
I do wonder what's gone on
with this clock in the past.
There may be something really
simply wrong with it.
A worn bearing or a bent lever.
But I won't know that
until I take it apart.
I'm just going to have to strip it
down and clean it all up.
Despite switching
from dry heat to steam,
Suzie is struggling to separate
the original lining from the grip.
She's cooking up a plan B.
I will just cover this
with a new piece of card
that has a new liner on it,
but keep the original underneath.
So I'm now going to turn
my attention to the seams,
which all need to be re-sewn.
And as Locita wants to use this,
I need to make sure all of that
stitching is really, really tight.
So I'm going to start
by undoing a small section
and then putting some new threads in
and making sure it will withstand
all of the use
it's going to go through.
I've covered the linen thread
with beeswax,
which helps to protect the fibres as
it's being pulled through the holes.
This is a technique that I use
when I'm working on saddles.
And then pull that through
to the side.
Sometimes I need to use my pliers.
Once I've got everything re-sewn
and get that structure back,
I can then focus my attention
on all the metal fittings
and get them in really
good condition.
Hey, Steve.
I've got a favour to ask.
This is a brand-new
locking mechanism
and I'm going to put it on a grip,
but the grip is a little older
than that lock,
so I would like it to be
antiqued down.
I wondered if that's something
that you could do. OK.
Leave it with me.
All right. Thank you.
It does look a bit glitzy.
It's got a lacquer on it
and sometimes if I put a heat
on a lacquered piece of brass,
it will just tone it down
a little bit.
So I'm going to try
using a blowtorch
to see whether that discolours it.
That is dulling it down
quite nicely, actually.
That is looking pretty good.
So I'll do the rest of it now.
Right. It's dropping in nicely.
I've got the new lining
going in inside the case
and basically I've got this card
that's covered with this
beautiful fabric.
The lid already looks
so much better.
Now that I've got
that tray in position,
I'm now going to...
..put these side pieces in
and they're going to be glued
into position on this overlap
of the fabric here.
I think it's really delightful
that Locita wants to use the case
because it carries
such meaning to her.
To put all of her belongings
into that relatively small case,
I just think, gosh, you know,
not knowing where you're going,
what's going to happen
when you get there.
And I think it's a lovely idea
to take it back from whence it came.
I'm just going to slide this
into place.
Once I've got the interior finished,
I can then focus on just
refreshing the exterior
and making it look really beautiful,
ready to give back to Keithly.
Chris has strengthened
and spruced up the passport,
allowing him to move on
to restoring the document's
uniquely personal element.
I'm going to turn my attention to...
..Edgar's name.
Beverly pointed out that
she'd quite like to see it again
and so I'm going
to reinstate the name.
I have noticed inside, the writing
is very similar to the outside,
so I'm going to finish off
the lettering by copying that
and just see if it marries up.
And because of the water damage,
the original blue ink's leaked,
so it's gone almost like
a teal colour,
But I'm going to reinstate
the original blue.
Oh, goodness me.
I really am holding my breath
on this one.
But it's... It's coming back.
So once I've completed this,
I'm going to touch up
the passport number
and then the excitement,
I can start concentrating
on joining them together.
Almost done.
Edgar Alfonso White's passport
had become faded and battered.
But in 1950, it enabled him
to leave his home in Jamaica
in search of a better life
for himself and his future bride.
Their daughter, Beverly,
is determined their story
should live on.
Hello. Hello. How you doing?
I'm very well, thank you.
All right.
I'm looking forward to seeing
my dad's passport.
Yeah. Are you ready? I am, yes. OK.
Oh, that's...
That's wonderful.
Oh, my goodness.
You can see the lettering
really clearly. Yeah.
And the crest and Dad's name.
Yeah. You know.
Oh.
That's beautiful.
And it feels strong.
Before, the pages were quite weak.
Oh, that's really beautiful.
And it's smooth.
You've restored it
into such a wonderful condition,
so thank you for that.
So the family can look at it... Yes.
..see the dates
and just be like, "Wow."
Because of the Windrush
and the Windrush generation,
this is like our history
that we're holding on to.
These are like the artefacts.
Absolutely.
It just shows that documentary proof
that Jamaican history is part
of British history. Yeah.
You know? How do you think Dad
will react when he sees it?
He would, I'm sure, recognise it.
You never know, it might jog
a memory? It might do, yeah. Yeah.
Well, Beverly, I couldn't let
you leave with just the passport.
I wanted something
to help protect it.
Wow.
Oh, my goodness me.
And the names of the ships
that my parents travelled
from Jamaica to England.
Yeah. Are you OK?
Ooh!
Yeah, yes.
It's been really special for me,
I can't tell you. Yeah.
Thank you so much.
I'll take good care of it. Yeah.
Bless you. You take care now.
Bye-bye. Bye-bye.
Every time I bring the passport out,
I will remember how beautifully
it's been restored.
It's important to have it
as a memento of my dad's life
and it's part of our family history.
So it will be great to be able
to tell those stories
and find the links
between Britain and Jamaica.
Next, audio expert Mark Stuckey,
and a repair
for a distinguished visitor.
I'm quite excited about this one.
We've got Professor Patrick Vernon
coming in.
OBE, I should say. Really?
Patrick Vernon has played a key role
in establishing the 22nd of June
as National Windrush Day.
Hello. Hi. How are you doing? You
all right? I'm fine, thank you
very much. So you're quite
instrumental in making sure
that the Windrush has got
recognised.
But why is it important?
The Windrush generation have
contributed to all aspects
of British society.
NHS, manufacturing, education.
So I've worked for a number
of years, convincing politicians
across all political parties,
why there should be a Windrush Day
to say to the black community -
thank you for your contribution.
And I think it's important
that we can do that as a nation.
Going back five years ago,
when we had the Windrush scandal,
people got deported,
people lost their jobs,
people lost their homes because
you couldn't prove you're British.
The Windrush generation are British
and they should
be recognised that way.
Yeah, 100%.
So, tell us about this.
This is a radiogram, early 1960s.
It was gifted to me
by a very dear friend of mine.
His name was Eddie Martin Noble,
and this was his prized possession.
Eddie was born in Jamaica in 1917.
In 1943 he came to Britain and
served in the RAF, doing logistics.
His job was make sure
that bombs went on to Wellingtons
and Lancasters.
He volunteered, like 10,000 to
15,000 people from the Caribbean
that served in the Second World War.
Yeah. He wanted to do his duty
for the country. Yeah.
And he served in the RAF up to 1951.
Wow. And then he stayed on
in Britain.
And how did you know Eddie?
He was the nearest person
to a grandfather I've ever had.
And I was almost like
an adopted son to him.
So we had a special relationship,
we really did. Oh, nice.
Sadly, he passed away in 2007
at the age of 90.
So why was this actually important
to Eddie?
He loved music.
He had to be moved into a care home.
He sold his other bits and pieces,
but he said,
"Patrick, I want you to have this."
Because he knew I liked it.
He gave me also his record
collection. Wow. You're joking?
Nat King Cole, Glenn Miller...
You know I love Nat King Cole,
don't you?
We all love Nat King Cole.
Come on. Class.
So was this radiogram
working when you got it?
No, it wasn't working before.
The radio didn't work
and then the turntable doesn't work
as well.
Assuming that we can get this
all fully working... Yeah.
..what are you hoping to do with it?
Is it going to be
in pride of place at home?
I want to use it for
educational purposes.
Take it into schools,
youth projects,
and hopefully I want to try
and explain this history,
why the radiogram
was important to culture, to arts,
wellbeing, bringing people together.
Everyone bought radiograms
in West Indian households.
Music was important
because, you know,
growing up you've heard ska,
you heard gospel,
as a reminder of home.
And also there was lots
of discrimination,
known as the colour bar,
which meant that there was
people discriminated
going to nightclubs and pubs
and public places. Yeah.
So people created their own
entertainment at home. Yeah.
Patrick, thank you
for bringing this in.
Personally, from the black
community, I've heard of you before
and we are proud
of what you're doing.
Thank you. It's been an honour
to meet you. It's a real pleasure.
And I look forward to listen
to this for the first time ever.
Nice to see you. Take care, now.
Safe journey home. Thanks. Bye-bye.
OK. Yes. Let's get this
on your bench. Let's get on.
You take the heavy end!
I'm an old man. I know you are!
Is this going to...?
Yeah, that's going to come out.
That's better.
Patrick did say that
it wasn't functioning at all.
So what I'll do is concentrate,
first of all, on the chassis.
Test the valves,
look at the components,
see what may not be working.
I will then go to the turntable,
get that functioning.
It's very much in the dark and
an unknown quantity at this stage,
which makes it rather interesting
and nerve-racking.
There's a lot to deal with.
While Steve finishes cleaning
the mechanism of the 1960s clock...
..woodwork whiz Will is making
a start on its badly stained case.
I'm using some varnish stripper now
to take the finish off the surface.
You could sand it,
but then the risk with that is,
this veneer
could be incredibly thin.
So any kind of harsh abrasives
like sandpaper
could go through the veneer
into the wood on the inside.
I'm not too sure what has dripped
on to the surface,
but it's definitely eaten through
the varnish
and buried itself into the wood.
So there's a slight chance that when
I have taken all the varnish off,
I might have to use another method
to try to draw that stain out.
The pivots of this clock
are in really good condition.
I just need to pop them
into the plates now
to see if there's any wear
in the pivot holes.
And here I can see
that there is actually some wear.
This pivot here is actually
moving across,
probably 0.25 of a millimetre,
which in clock-making terms
is substantial.
The teeth of the wheels, they
actually roll round each other.
And if there's any wear
in the pivot holes,
because the distance
between the wheels are wrong,
they'll rub on each other and that
will stop the clock eventually.
I'm just going to file the hole now
because I need to centre it up.
I do this by eye and feel,
and because I've been doing this
for 50 years,
I'm getting quite good at it now!
Right, that'll be enough.
So what I need to do now
is pick the correct bush,
open up the hole in the plate,
push the bush in,
and that will be a new bearing done.
I've now stripped the old varnish
off of the surface of the clock,
but these really dark stains
on the left are still visibly there.
I've decided to use wood bleach.
In theory, this should
bleach out quite well.
It depends on the type
of wood you're bleaching,
or how deep the stain is.
So I'm really hoping that this
is the winning option here.
The bleach has now dried,
so I'm hoping it's done its job.
I need to neutralise this surface
with water now.
Not only is it going
to neutralise it,
but it's also going to show me
what it's going to look like
when it's actually been polished up.
So here is the moment of truth.
It looks good.
Look at that.
Look at that. Oh, my gosh.
Compared to how it was,
that's a massive transformation.
I am really pleased with that.
I've finished all of the bushing
and got to the point now
where I start putting everything
back together again.
I remember when I first
started doing clocks...
..this sort of process
would take me an age to do.
Now I sort of whiz through it,
knowing where most things go.
The travel-worn grip has been
strengthened and boasts a new lock.
But Suzie is not ready
to wish it bon voyage just yet.
I'm just using an acrylic
that we use on leather
to try and disguise the fact that
we've got all this damage here.
It's been a really lovely
repair job to do.
It feels so strong, that this is
definitely fit for purpose.
The grip showed every one
of the thousands of difficult miles
it had travelled.
Keithly hopes it can now accompany
his mum, Locita,
back to where her journey began
nearly 70 years ago.
Here he is. Hello. Hello.
Hello. Wow, sparkle! Thank you.
Thank you. Very smart. Very smart.
Well, this is the way that they
used to dress when they came over.
So people from the Windrush
generation,
they always liked to look smart.
You couldn't go out of the house
looking scruffy
because you're disrespecting
the family. Exactly.
So you've come out of house
looking spectacular
and you've come for Mum's grip?
That's correct. That's correct.
Mum's excited about it as well.
OK.
You did set me quite a challenge
and it did make me think hard
because although you want it
to have this new life,
you wanted it to remain the same.
Stay looking old,
but you want it to withstand...
At least until it gets
to its end destination...
OK. ..in the West Indies.
We'd better show him, then.
I think so. OK.
That's what I'm talking about!
It's fantastic.
It's looking good.
Oh, my gosh.
Yes!
Yes! Oh, look at that.
Absolutely fabulous.
The paper lining was all
beginning to crumble away.
But if ever you wanted
to see the original lining,
you can do just by releasing it
from the top here.
You've done an amazing job.
Mum will like that, definitely.
Just to see my mum happy,
it means the world to me.
It really does.
Good.
It's been so enjoyable,
but also hearing about
the Windrush generation
and getting that education myself.
How everyone who came to the UK
has been instrumental
in uplifting this country.
Quite a remarkable story.
The contribution they've made
to society is just... Yeah.
So I'm in awe of them and thankful
for what they've achieved.
Yeah. It's yours to take home now.
Thank you. Tell Mum we said hello.
I will. I will.
And I hope she has a fabulous time.
I KNOW she's going to have a
fabuolous time.
She will, she will.
Sunshine and sea on the veranda.
Thank you. You take care, now.
All right. Bye-bye. Bye.
Amazing.
Well done, you. That was fun.
Absolutely brilliant. Thank you.
I'm ecstatic about it.
I just want to dance, do a jig!
It's restored,
it's going back to Nevis,
and Mum's got something
to remind her of her journey.
She's very proud
of what this symbolises.
So a round trip, shall I say?
From Nevis to England...
..back to Nevis.
Mark's overhaul of the radiogram
hasn't yet identified any faults,
but there's still plenty to check.
I'm going to test the valves.
The valve in this particular case
converts your basic
mains electricity
into a form of suitable
power and voltage
to allow this particular radiogram
to function correctly.
And if the valve is good...
..it should go into the green.
And it's working really good.
So we'll take that out.
Now we'll do the audio
amplifier valve.
That's what gives you the sound.
And that says that valve
is really good.
Two down, four more to go.
I've cleaned all the valve bases,
I've put those valves
back into situ.
One of the valves
wasn't working efficiently.
I've changed that.
And I've changed these components
called capacitors,
which I felt due to age
needed to be done.
I'm now turning my attention
to the turntable
because this is really the heart
of most people's radiograms.
What we need to do first
is to remove this area
where the record sits on,
which is called the platter.
We have a little circlip,
which we undo carefully,
as they have been known
to fly across the room!
TING!
It went flying! I heard it.
Well, that was a bit of luck
that something solid stopped it.
That's why you have to be careful!
Now that I've removed that circlip,
we lift the platter off,
and this exposes the mechanism
which drives all this.
So I'll get a multimeter.
Just make sure I've got condinuity.
That one there.
That one like that.
The meter is showing nothing,
but that's probably because
I need to hit it on
to make the switch operate.
And still nothing.
There's no continuity,
which means there's no current flow
through the circuit to the motor.
If I just do that,
normally a few times like this
can clean that mechanism up.
Yeah. Now the switch has been
turned on and off a few times,
it's now got a continuity...
..which is fine.
What I'm going to do now
is connect these loose wires
from the motor in the switch.
This is a safety box. It allows you
to actually do that without
having to use a mains plug.
So I'll put that on there.
I want to see if the motor
starts to turn.
There we go.
So we know that the motor
is functional. That's encouraging.
It means now I can strip it down,
clean it, re-oil it,
and then we'll see how it behaves
when I put it all back together.
Steve has already reassembled
the workings of the 1960s clock,
but there's still fine-tuning to do.
I'm just going to trip the chime
and strike mechanism now.
There we go.
After all the years
I've been doing clock repairing,
I still enjoy seeing
a mechanism like this,
chiming and striking
as it was when it was brand-new.
Right, now it's time
to get it into the case.
Will has done the most amazing job.
It's absolutely brilliant.
There we go.
Great.
I just need to get the hands on now
and then set up the hammers,
so that the chimes sound
nice and sweet.
And then it's ready
for Dorcas and Steve.
I can't wait to see their face.
So it's all working?
It's working really well.
That's what I like to hear.
The clock is a precious reminder
of Dorcas and Stephen's
parents' resilience,
but it hasn't chimed
in over 25 years.
Here we go. Hello.
Hello. Hello.
How are you both doing?
We're excited.
What are you hoping for?
I am hoping to see the clock
as I think Mum would have seen it
when she looked in the shop
window and she said to Dad,
who she called Brown,
and she said,
"Brown, that's the one for me."
"That's the one I want." Yeah.
So that's what I'm hoping for.
So, are you ready to see it?
Let's do it. Yeah, let's do it.
Are you sure? Absolutely.
If you don't, I will!
Wow. Oh, look at that!
That is brand-new.
Oh, she's a beauty.
She is an absolute beauty.
Oh, my word. Oh!
I mean...
..it looks absolutely
brand-spanking new. It's stunning.
I'm just going to...
..take this little wire
I've got there and then just...
CLOCK CHIMES
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Are you OK, Dorcas?
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
When it was chiming, I just saw you
look up. Why did you do that?
Just the memories of Mum and Dad.
Yeah.
Just the simplicity of life,
with Mum and Dad providing
that happy home for us.
So for me, that sound really does
just tug at my heartstrings
and brings back the best memories.
In a second, you've gone from,
from this year back to childhood,
instantly.
Yeah.
We're overjoyed. So it's yours
to take now. Thank you so much.
We really do appreciate all that
you've done. It's been a pleasure.
Thank you very much. Bye. Bye. Bye.
Wow.
That's nice, isn't it? Really nice.
Eh? Yeah.
For me, the clock symbolises
Mum and Dad.
It symbolises what they worked for,
what they achieved
when they came to this country.
And for a lot of people,
it may not be a big achievement,
but little things that other
people take for granted,
we see in that clock
and we're thinking,
yeah, that's a major achievement.
I wasn't sure how I would react,
but to...
..see the clock restored
and working...
..just made me feel
overwhelmed with joy.
Having addressed decades
of wear and tear,
Mark has begun reassembling
the radiogram.
Just got to finish wiring that up.
But now I've done all the
electronics,
all the components have been
replaced,
so it's beginning
to look really presentable,
ready for Patrick to have a look at
and importantly, to hear.
Got it. That's it.
It's not just really
a record player.
It's actually a little time capsule.
And he'll literally be hearing it
exactly the same way
as how Eddie originally heard it.
This radiogram, treasured
by war veteran Eddie Noble,
serves as a reminder
of the generations
who often had little choice
but to make their own entertainment,
but also of the rich musical
heritage they brought to the UK.
Now its owner, Patrick, hopes
to hear it for the very first time.
Hello. How are you doing? Are you
all right? Fine, thank you.
Good. You look proper smart.
So this is Eddie's radiogram,
isn't it? Yes.
So what are you hoping?
I'm hoping that it's repaired.
Yeah. I want to hear music
that Eddie would have heard.
He was a dear friend of mine,
but more importantly,
he served his country.
And then he stayed on
and has passed that wider history
of the Windrush generation
contributing to Britain.
So it's about Eddie, British history
and the Caribbean contribution.
So are you ready to see it?
Definitely, yeah.
This is amazing. Yeah? Yeah.
That's good. Fantastic.
Look at that.
Brilliant. And...
Oh, look at this.
Thank you. This is brilliant. I just
can't wait to listen to it now.
Brilliant.
Let's go. All the way forward. Yeah.
And then let go. OK.
MUSIC: In The Mood
by Glenn Miller
This is something Eddie loved.
Glenn Miller. Yeah. In The Mood.
It's working. Brilliant.
This is fantastic.
That's nice.
To hear it for the first time ever,
it just gives me goose pimples.
Eddie loved music, so I know for him
to give this to me was a big deal.
Yeah.
Now it's working, I want to use this
now to engage with young people
to understand this contribution
of Windrush generation.
This is history. Yeah.
And I just want to thank you
for restoring this.
It's been a pleasure.
I appreciate that.
I know Eddie would
appreciate that, too. Yes.
I might have a little toast.
I'll have a little rum and Coke
and just say, you know,
Eddie, up there... Yeah.
..listen to this, this is yours,
I'm sharing this with you.
Well, Patrick, thank you
for bringing this in
and reminding us how important
the Windrush generation are.
We'll get this shipped up to you.
Packed up and shipped up.
Thank you. You take care now.
OK. Cheers. Bye. Thanks very much.
Bye-bye. Bye-bye.
Just to have that working again,
it's going to bring that kind
of bond again with Eddie.
It's going to bring those memories
of that generation,
the Windrush generation,
that we should never, ever forget.
If you have a treasured possession
that's seen better days
and you think the team can help,
please get in touch at...
..and join us in The Repair Shop.
Oh, my goodness!
..where precious
but faded keepsakes...
That is proper crushed.
..are restored to their
former glory.
Zhushing! Zhushing!
Could I get finished now, please?
Yes!
A dream team of expert
craftspeople...
I'm absolutely chuffed to bits.
Fantastic! Brilliant!
Yes! Look at that!
..using traditional techniques
passed down the generations...
Perfecto.
It's almost magic.
Nothing better
than a plan that works.
..restore irreplaceable treasures...
Oh, my God! Look at that!
It's perfect.
..and unlock the stories they hold.
BELL DINGS
Happy tears.
It feels more magical.
I just want to hug everybody!
Nice one. See you later.
See you, Mark.
Nice, hot cup of tea. Do you know
what? I'm still on my first mug.
Morning. How we doing? Morning.
All right? Yeah. Good. Good.
Busy day.
A very busy day and a good day.
It's all about Windrush today.
Yes. You got any connection?
My grandparents came over
in that generation, yeah.
Same here. My grandmother came over
and went into the nursing, um,
is what she studied in Barbados
and then came over here, started
working.
There you go, then. We've got some
really beautiful items coming in
and they really mean a lot to that
generation, the Windrush generation.
In 1948, the Empire Windrush
was one of the first ships
to bring large numbers of people
from the Caribbean
to a post-war Britain
desperate for workers.
Over the next two decades,
it's estimated that
over half a million followed.
Amongst them were the parents
of Beverly Dixon from London.
She's hoping bookbinder Chris Shaw
can restore a document
that played a pivotal role
in her family's history,
as it did for so many.
Hello, Beverly. How are you doing?
Very well, thank you. Good.
What have you brought us?
Let's have a look.
I've brought my dad's passport.
You can see just faintly the words
"British Passport", "Jamaica".
What's Dad's name?
His name is Edgar Alfonso White.
OK. You can see it.
Just the E. I can see "Mr E".
Yes, "Mr E".
So it was issued in '48?
Yes. It's the same year... Yeah.
..that the Empire Windrush docked
in Tilbury.
1948, yeah. Goodness me.
If you turn the page...
..you can see that he was
a British subject by birth.
God, look. The British Empire.
Goodness me.
Yes. It must have been tough
in Jamaica at that time as well.
Yes. Yes, Jamaica
and other Caribbean islands.
It was difficult for young people
to find work. Right.
You know, Mum and Dad,
I remember in one of their stories,
they used to walk along the beach
and they had a special place
where they used to plan
for the future... Wow.
..on the hill, you know,
under the ackee tree... Wow.
..to talk about,
OK, we're going to go to Britain,
we're going to work hard,
we're going to build a family.
And of course, Britain was calling
for people from the colonies
to rebuild the motherland.
You can see it here,
it was 1950
when he travelled to Britain.
I think he travelled
on the SS Eros.
What age was your dad
when he travelled here?
24 years old. So a young man.
Still a young man.
Good fortune happened for Dad
because he met a Welsh family
through the church,
who took him under their wing.
This family were called
Mr and Mrs Bland. OK.
And Mrs Bland dipped into her purse
and gave Dad the fare
for Mum to come from Jamaica
to Britain.
Whoa. That's nice, isn't it?
It's a wonderful, wonderful story.
Wow. Mum came over in 1951
on the SS Colombie.
What's Mum's name?
Her name was Rubina
and they were married in 1952
in St John's Church in Brixton.
Just talking about it makes me
feel quite, quite emotional.
You know, immediately I can see
Mum and Dad together,
planning for their future.
How old is Dad now?
He's 97. Wow! Wow!
So...
THEY CHUCKLE
97! Cor blimey!
He would open it up and see himself
as a younger man
and that would usually trigger...
A memory.
..a memory and a story. Wow.
It's such an important document.
Without it, Dad wouldn't have been
able to build a life here.
So we...
We have to celebrate the fact
that Mum and Dad came to Britain.
We stand on their shoulders.
They are the foundation
and we build from there.
And in the future, the grandchildren
will be able to tell their story.
Yeah.
So it would be great to see it
in better condition.
Right. You know, this is worn. Yeah.
The issue number
and definitely his name. Yeah.
So you would like this to look
like the day that it was issued?
I'd love it to look like that, yeah.
Thank you for bringing this in.
Personally, I can't wait to see
what you would do to this. Yeah.
I can't wait... It's a lot
of pressure! It is, yeah.
I look forward to seeing it.
Me, too.
Thank you. All right. Bye bye.
Take care, now. Bye bye. Bye.
Ships commonly called
at several Caribbean ports
before crossing the Atlantic,
so passengers had endured
long spells at sea
by the time they got to Britain.
Tickets for the journey
were expensive,
representing a big investment
in the hope of getting a good job.
I've never actually worked
on a passport.
Fascinated on how
it's actually constructed.
It's all coming away
because it's got damp.
All these creases are due to the
fact that damp has affected the glue
and that's why it's come away.
So to repair it,
I need to separate the cover
and then I'll be able
to reinforce that.
I am very curious
about this little gunky thing
and I'm hoping that if I can remove
that, it will then expose the crest.
It's come away beautifully.
I'm using just basically water.
I'm hoping that's
all it's going to take to come off.
I think it's just going
to come off with...
It is.
It is a sort of a paper.
It's very, very satisfying,
after all these years
being covered up.
You can see the crest.
It's just fantastic.
My next task,
I'm going to remove this board
and then eventually replace it
with some new board.
And that will get rid of all
these unsightly creases.
Keithly Brandy from Manchester
has a keepsake
that also made the momentous journey
from the Caribbean.
He wants leatherwork specialist
Suzie Fletcher
to repair it for one final voyage.
Hello. Hello. Hello. How you doing?
Not too bad, thank you.
It's nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you as well.
It looks like you're ready to go
on a journey. Where are you going?
The journey is the grip, actually.
I haven't heard it called that
for a long time.
My mum used to say, "Take down the
grip from the top of the wardrobe."
Yeah, yeah. The grip? The suitcase
is called a grip because
you're gripping it. Oh, OK, yeah.
You're gripping the handle.
So this belonged to Mum? Yeah.
This would have been the case
with all her worldly possessions
for her journey to Southampton
from the island of Nevis
in the Caribbean.
One case? One case, one grip.
And what year was this? 1956.
Part of the Windrush generation.
What is Mum's name?
Mum's name is Locita Brandy.
She would have come over
with my dad.
His name was Osborne Brandy.
They were in their twenties.
The journey was not
a pleasant journey for her
because the seas was rough.
They were in the belly
of the ship.
They were second-class citizens as
such, if not third-class citizens.
So food, I mean,
how did they get by with...?
My mum did say that
they did bring journey cakes.
Yeah, a journey cake.
So it's like flour, water,
a bit of butter
mixed together into a dough,
they would fry that and
that would last a long time.
OK. It's like your little sandwich.
Yeah.
I'm just looking at this
and thinking,
how did she decide what to put in
the case for an unknown journey?
You packed the bare essentials
so that you can get by.
And then when she got to England,
she then embarked
on the other journey
in trying to find accommodation
and she wanted to go into teaching.
And there was resentments that
kept them at a specific level,
so she could only go for cleaning
jobs and stuff like that. OK.
But she was adamant that she was
going to reach a certain level
that suited her own intellect,
as such. She became a social worker
and then a councillor
for the local area as well.
Yeah. Always helping other people.
And she was recognised by
Tony Blair... The Prime Minister?
..the Prime Minister,
for her achievements
within the local community.
That must have been a proud moment
for the family, though. Yeah.
Proud moment for the community,
not just for the family. Yeah.
She would have loved to be here,
but because of her health,
it's slightly deteriorating,
I'm here to represent my mum.
It's all about my mum and her grip.
Yeah.
Mum's going back to Nevis.
She wants to see her brother
that's got dementia.
And as it's something
that reminds her of back home,
it would be nice for her
to take back with her,
using that as part
of her luggage as well.
So what's actually wrong
with the case?
The catch here,
it's not staying down.
It flicks open every now and again.
Do you mind if I look inside...
Go ahead.
..and see what's going on here?
So the lining is becoming detached,
so we could certainly tidy that up.
Would that be OK? Anything
to help it stay together. Yeah.
I mean, Mum did say, you know,
it's nice to keep its
authenticity... Yes. ..as well.
Thank you so much for bringing
this in and telling us about Mum.
Thank you very much.
You take care now.
All right. Thank you very much.
Bye bye. Bye.
Wow. it needs a little bit of TLC
to get ready for a journey.
Definitely. And it's in the
right hands. Wow. Thank you.
I can't wait to get started.
Enjoy.
I'm feeling like the actual
structure of the case
has been compromised
during that journey.
This is made from card
that's covered with a fabric
to look like leather.
And probably, as it was sort of
slid along the floor,
it's actually broken
the stitching in various areas,
particularly on the corners here.
If I open the inside,
we have this original lining paper.
In order for me to be able
to strengthen the structure
of the case,
all of this has to be removed
in a complete piece
with the mind to reuse it once I've
got that new structure in place.
So I'm going to try and reactivate
the glue here using heat.
It's one of those things,
you don't know what's going
to happen until you try.
Chris has discovered the cloth cover
of the British passport
is far flimsier
than it first appeared,
so he's adjusting his plans.
My thought process now is,
I'm going to back it on
to some new leather-effect cloth
and that's going to give it
all the strength.
And very fortunately,
I've found some that is
a remarkable colour match,
so I'm going to glue it on
and I'm hoping that these creases
will start to go.
I'm going to give it a quick press
with some blotting paper
to start with.
Pop it in the nipping press
and then just leave it
as long as possible.
And then I'm hoping
that it would have stuck.
Now I can have a bit of fun
cutting the boards to size
and cutting that hole.
What I'm going to do
is just basically use
the original as a template.
Pencil and ruler...
..and I think I'll be away.
I'm really lucky that the 5p
is the perfect stencil.
I'm really happy.
It's not going to fall to pieces.
Looked after, it's going to be
around for hundreds of years.
Now, I've got the exciting bit,
when it starts becoming
more like a passport.
I'm going to start
cutting out these holes
and then I'm going to marry up
the new board on the back
and then stick it on.
So I've now got the text block
of the passport, the official bit.
You can see on the inside,
if you open the page,
the sewing is exposed.
I'm going to put a tiny little piece
of Japanese tissue along this edge
and that will help support the paper
and keep it all nice and strong.
Japanese tissue,
for the weight of the paper,
it is exceptionally strong.
I'm going to glue a bit of paste
along the edge.
Just make sure that
it's gone into all of the cracks.
Once this is dry,
I can then do this to the front.
Dorcas Cain and her brother,
Stephen,
have travelled to the barn
from Birmingham
with a cherished reminder
of their parents' determination
to make a new life in Britain.
It needs Steve Fletcher's
horology expertise.
Hello. Hello.
How are we doing? Good, thank you.
Are you OK? I'm very good.
Can't complain.
So what have you got for us, then?
Carefully wrapped up.
Very well protected.
This clock belonged to my parents,
Herman and Keturah Brown. Yeah.
Mum and Dad come from
the sunny island of Antigua.
Dad came in March of 1960
and Mum came in the September.
In the Caribbean, they grew up
seeing the Queen, head of state,
and they saw England
as somewhere that they belonged.
What was life like for them here?
I think they came here with ideas of
what they thought it was going to be
and I think they were surprised
to find what it actually was. Yeah.
So when a lot of our Caribbean
Windrush generation came here
and were not welcomed
in English congregations,
they had no choice but to start
their own
because they wanted
to continue to worship.
So Dad became a church leader
very soon after arriving
in Birmingham
and he pastored a church
for well over 40 years.
They faced a lot of adversity. Yeah.
Like, you're not welcome. Yeah.
Mum and Dad, well,
a lot of Caribbean people
simply couldn't get credit,
bank loans to furnish their houses,
so they worked and they saved.
And the clock is one of
the first items
that they brought
to furnish their room.
They didn't have a house,
it was a room.
And then when the family started
to come along, it went to two rooms.
After that, they got
their first council house... OK.
..and then we were there until 1981.
And then they were able
to buy their next house
and they owned it
up until the day they passed away.
And this sat on top of the cabinet
in pride of place,
always in the front room.
It used to chime on the hour.
It would chime and we'd know Dad's
coming home,
better go and wash the dishes,
that sort of thing.
Or it was time for bed.
Time for church.
When was the last time
you heard it chiming?
I can hazard a guess,
it's at least a quarter of a century
since it's chimed.
We really would like
to hear the chime
and to just remind us really
of our days growing up
in a house full of love.
It goes a lot deeper
than just a clock. Yeah, yeah.
It's gone through generations.
It's seen a lot.
Yeah.
So for this to be repaired right
now, yeah, it would mean so much.
So it never had
all of this stainage on there?
No, no, no, no. I'm not
sure where this has come from.
I would like to see it looking
brand-spanking new,
as I imagine Mum saw it
in the shop window. Right.
I would like to honour
the Windrush generation.
They came here with nothing,
they came with dreams.
But when they saw
what it actually was,
they stuck at it
in the face of so much hostility.
They've taught us so much
and I'm so proud that I am a product
of the Windrush generation.
Same here. Yeah. Yeah.
Well, thank you for bringing this
in, all right?
You're welcome. You guys take care.
Thank you for having us.
Nice to meet you. Thank you very
much. And you. Nice to meet you.
Thank you. Bye bye.
Take care now. Bye bye.
That's an important story, isn't it?
It really is.
And do you know what?
When they hear it chiming
for the first time, I can't wait.
All right, nice one.
This will be a massive honour
to get this clock repaired
and working properly.
The case is really
quite badly damaged.
I'm going to have to ask Will
if he will have a look at it
and get it back to the condition
that Dorcas would love.
I'm always itching to get inside
a clock mechanism.
I do wonder what's gone on
with this clock in the past.
There may be something really
simply wrong with it.
A worn bearing or a bent lever.
But I won't know that
until I take it apart.
I'm just going to have to strip it
down and clean it all up.
Despite switching
from dry heat to steam,
Suzie is struggling to separate
the original lining from the grip.
She's cooking up a plan B.
I will just cover this
with a new piece of card
that has a new liner on it,
but keep the original underneath.
So I'm now going to turn
my attention to the seams,
which all need to be re-sewn.
And as Locita wants to use this,
I need to make sure all of that
stitching is really, really tight.
So I'm going to start
by undoing a small section
and then putting some new threads in
and making sure it will withstand
all of the use
it's going to go through.
I've covered the linen thread
with beeswax,
which helps to protect the fibres as
it's being pulled through the holes.
This is a technique that I use
when I'm working on saddles.
And then pull that through
to the side.
Sometimes I need to use my pliers.
Once I've got everything re-sewn
and get that structure back,
I can then focus my attention
on all the metal fittings
and get them in really
good condition.
Hey, Steve.
I've got a favour to ask.
This is a brand-new
locking mechanism
and I'm going to put it on a grip,
but the grip is a little older
than that lock,
so I would like it to be
antiqued down.
I wondered if that's something
that you could do. OK.
Leave it with me.
All right. Thank you.
It does look a bit glitzy.
It's got a lacquer on it
and sometimes if I put a heat
on a lacquered piece of brass,
it will just tone it down
a little bit.
So I'm going to try
using a blowtorch
to see whether that discolours it.
That is dulling it down
quite nicely, actually.
That is looking pretty good.
So I'll do the rest of it now.
Right. It's dropping in nicely.
I've got the new lining
going in inside the case
and basically I've got this card
that's covered with this
beautiful fabric.
The lid already looks
so much better.
Now that I've got
that tray in position,
I'm now going to...
..put these side pieces in
and they're going to be glued
into position on this overlap
of the fabric here.
I think it's really delightful
that Locita wants to use the case
because it carries
such meaning to her.
To put all of her belongings
into that relatively small case,
I just think, gosh, you know,
not knowing where you're going,
what's going to happen
when you get there.
And I think it's a lovely idea
to take it back from whence it came.
I'm just going to slide this
into place.
Once I've got the interior finished,
I can then focus on just
refreshing the exterior
and making it look really beautiful,
ready to give back to Keithly.
Chris has strengthened
and spruced up the passport,
allowing him to move on
to restoring the document's
uniquely personal element.
I'm going to turn my attention to...
..Edgar's name.
Beverly pointed out that
she'd quite like to see it again
and so I'm going
to reinstate the name.
I have noticed inside, the writing
is very similar to the outside,
so I'm going to finish off
the lettering by copying that
and just see if it marries up.
And because of the water damage,
the original blue ink's leaked,
so it's gone almost like
a teal colour,
But I'm going to reinstate
the original blue.
Oh, goodness me.
I really am holding my breath
on this one.
But it's... It's coming back.
So once I've completed this,
I'm going to touch up
the passport number
and then the excitement,
I can start concentrating
on joining them together.
Almost done.
Edgar Alfonso White's passport
had become faded and battered.
But in 1950, it enabled him
to leave his home in Jamaica
in search of a better life
for himself and his future bride.
Their daughter, Beverly,
is determined their story
should live on.
Hello. Hello. How you doing?
I'm very well, thank you.
All right.
I'm looking forward to seeing
my dad's passport.
Yeah. Are you ready? I am, yes. OK.
Oh, that's...
That's wonderful.
Oh, my goodness.
You can see the lettering
really clearly. Yeah.
And the crest and Dad's name.
Yeah. You know.
Oh.
That's beautiful.
And it feels strong.
Before, the pages were quite weak.
Oh, that's really beautiful.
And it's smooth.
You've restored it
into such a wonderful condition,
so thank you for that.
So the family can look at it... Yes.
..see the dates
and just be like, "Wow."
Because of the Windrush
and the Windrush generation,
this is like our history
that we're holding on to.
These are like the artefacts.
Absolutely.
It just shows that documentary proof
that Jamaican history is part
of British history. Yeah.
You know? How do you think Dad
will react when he sees it?
He would, I'm sure, recognise it.
You never know, it might jog
a memory? It might do, yeah. Yeah.
Well, Beverly, I couldn't let
you leave with just the passport.
I wanted something
to help protect it.
Wow.
Oh, my goodness me.
And the names of the ships
that my parents travelled
from Jamaica to England.
Yeah. Are you OK?
Ooh!
Yeah, yes.
It's been really special for me,
I can't tell you. Yeah.
Thank you so much.
I'll take good care of it. Yeah.
Bless you. You take care now.
Bye-bye. Bye-bye.
Every time I bring the passport out,
I will remember how beautifully
it's been restored.
It's important to have it
as a memento of my dad's life
and it's part of our family history.
So it will be great to be able
to tell those stories
and find the links
between Britain and Jamaica.
Next, audio expert Mark Stuckey,
and a repair
for a distinguished visitor.
I'm quite excited about this one.
We've got Professor Patrick Vernon
coming in.
OBE, I should say. Really?
Patrick Vernon has played a key role
in establishing the 22nd of June
as National Windrush Day.
Hello. Hi. How are you doing? You
all right? I'm fine, thank you
very much. So you're quite
instrumental in making sure
that the Windrush has got
recognised.
But why is it important?
The Windrush generation have
contributed to all aspects
of British society.
NHS, manufacturing, education.
So I've worked for a number
of years, convincing politicians
across all political parties,
why there should be a Windrush Day
to say to the black community -
thank you for your contribution.
And I think it's important
that we can do that as a nation.
Going back five years ago,
when we had the Windrush scandal,
people got deported,
people lost their jobs,
people lost their homes because
you couldn't prove you're British.
The Windrush generation are British
and they should
be recognised that way.
Yeah, 100%.
So, tell us about this.
This is a radiogram, early 1960s.
It was gifted to me
by a very dear friend of mine.
His name was Eddie Martin Noble,
and this was his prized possession.
Eddie was born in Jamaica in 1917.
In 1943 he came to Britain and
served in the RAF, doing logistics.
His job was make sure
that bombs went on to Wellingtons
and Lancasters.
He volunteered, like 10,000 to
15,000 people from the Caribbean
that served in the Second World War.
Yeah. He wanted to do his duty
for the country. Yeah.
And he served in the RAF up to 1951.
Wow. And then he stayed on
in Britain.
And how did you know Eddie?
He was the nearest person
to a grandfather I've ever had.
And I was almost like
an adopted son to him.
So we had a special relationship,
we really did. Oh, nice.
Sadly, he passed away in 2007
at the age of 90.
So why was this actually important
to Eddie?
He loved music.
He had to be moved into a care home.
He sold his other bits and pieces,
but he said,
"Patrick, I want you to have this."
Because he knew I liked it.
He gave me also his record
collection. Wow. You're joking?
Nat King Cole, Glenn Miller...
You know I love Nat King Cole,
don't you?
We all love Nat King Cole.
Come on. Class.
So was this radiogram
working when you got it?
No, it wasn't working before.
The radio didn't work
and then the turntable doesn't work
as well.
Assuming that we can get this
all fully working... Yeah.
..what are you hoping to do with it?
Is it going to be
in pride of place at home?
I want to use it for
educational purposes.
Take it into schools,
youth projects,
and hopefully I want to try
and explain this history,
why the radiogram
was important to culture, to arts,
wellbeing, bringing people together.
Everyone bought radiograms
in West Indian households.
Music was important
because, you know,
growing up you've heard ska,
you heard gospel,
as a reminder of home.
And also there was lots
of discrimination,
known as the colour bar,
which meant that there was
people discriminated
going to nightclubs and pubs
and public places. Yeah.
So people created their own
entertainment at home. Yeah.
Patrick, thank you
for bringing this in.
Personally, from the black
community, I've heard of you before
and we are proud
of what you're doing.
Thank you. It's been an honour
to meet you. It's a real pleasure.
And I look forward to listen
to this for the first time ever.
Nice to see you. Take care, now.
Safe journey home. Thanks. Bye-bye.
OK. Yes. Let's get this
on your bench. Let's get on.
You take the heavy end!
I'm an old man. I know you are!
Is this going to...?
Yeah, that's going to come out.
That's better.
Patrick did say that
it wasn't functioning at all.
So what I'll do is concentrate,
first of all, on the chassis.
Test the valves,
look at the components,
see what may not be working.
I will then go to the turntable,
get that functioning.
It's very much in the dark and
an unknown quantity at this stage,
which makes it rather interesting
and nerve-racking.
There's a lot to deal with.
While Steve finishes cleaning
the mechanism of the 1960s clock...
..woodwork whiz Will is making
a start on its badly stained case.
I'm using some varnish stripper now
to take the finish off the surface.
You could sand it,
but then the risk with that is,
this veneer
could be incredibly thin.
So any kind of harsh abrasives
like sandpaper
could go through the veneer
into the wood on the inside.
I'm not too sure what has dripped
on to the surface,
but it's definitely eaten through
the varnish
and buried itself into the wood.
So there's a slight chance that when
I have taken all the varnish off,
I might have to use another method
to try to draw that stain out.
The pivots of this clock
are in really good condition.
I just need to pop them
into the plates now
to see if there's any wear
in the pivot holes.
And here I can see
that there is actually some wear.
This pivot here is actually
moving across,
probably 0.25 of a millimetre,
which in clock-making terms
is substantial.
The teeth of the wheels, they
actually roll round each other.
And if there's any wear
in the pivot holes,
because the distance
between the wheels are wrong,
they'll rub on each other and that
will stop the clock eventually.
I'm just going to file the hole now
because I need to centre it up.
I do this by eye and feel,
and because I've been doing this
for 50 years,
I'm getting quite good at it now!
Right, that'll be enough.
So what I need to do now
is pick the correct bush,
open up the hole in the plate,
push the bush in,
and that will be a new bearing done.
I've now stripped the old varnish
off of the surface of the clock,
but these really dark stains
on the left are still visibly there.
I've decided to use wood bleach.
In theory, this should
bleach out quite well.
It depends on the type
of wood you're bleaching,
or how deep the stain is.
So I'm really hoping that this
is the winning option here.
The bleach has now dried,
so I'm hoping it's done its job.
I need to neutralise this surface
with water now.
Not only is it going
to neutralise it,
but it's also going to show me
what it's going to look like
when it's actually been polished up.
So here is the moment of truth.
It looks good.
Look at that.
Look at that. Oh, my gosh.
Compared to how it was,
that's a massive transformation.
I am really pleased with that.
I've finished all of the bushing
and got to the point now
where I start putting everything
back together again.
I remember when I first
started doing clocks...
..this sort of process
would take me an age to do.
Now I sort of whiz through it,
knowing where most things go.
The travel-worn grip has been
strengthened and boasts a new lock.
But Suzie is not ready
to wish it bon voyage just yet.
I'm just using an acrylic
that we use on leather
to try and disguise the fact that
we've got all this damage here.
It's been a really lovely
repair job to do.
It feels so strong, that this is
definitely fit for purpose.
The grip showed every one
of the thousands of difficult miles
it had travelled.
Keithly hopes it can now accompany
his mum, Locita,
back to where her journey began
nearly 70 years ago.
Here he is. Hello. Hello.
Hello. Wow, sparkle! Thank you.
Thank you. Very smart. Very smart.
Well, this is the way that they
used to dress when they came over.
So people from the Windrush
generation,
they always liked to look smart.
You couldn't go out of the house
looking scruffy
because you're disrespecting
the family. Exactly.
So you've come out of house
looking spectacular
and you've come for Mum's grip?
That's correct. That's correct.
Mum's excited about it as well.
OK.
You did set me quite a challenge
and it did make me think hard
because although you want it
to have this new life,
you wanted it to remain the same.
Stay looking old,
but you want it to withstand...
At least until it gets
to its end destination...
OK. ..in the West Indies.
We'd better show him, then.
I think so. OK.
That's what I'm talking about!
It's fantastic.
It's looking good.
Oh, my gosh.
Yes!
Yes! Oh, look at that.
Absolutely fabulous.
The paper lining was all
beginning to crumble away.
But if ever you wanted
to see the original lining,
you can do just by releasing it
from the top here.
You've done an amazing job.
Mum will like that, definitely.
Just to see my mum happy,
it means the world to me.
It really does.
Good.
It's been so enjoyable,
but also hearing about
the Windrush generation
and getting that education myself.
How everyone who came to the UK
has been instrumental
in uplifting this country.
Quite a remarkable story.
The contribution they've made
to society is just... Yeah.
So I'm in awe of them and thankful
for what they've achieved.
Yeah. It's yours to take home now.
Thank you. Tell Mum we said hello.
I will. I will.
And I hope she has a fabulous time.
I KNOW she's going to have a
fabuolous time.
She will, she will.
Sunshine and sea on the veranda.
Thank you. You take care, now.
All right. Bye-bye. Bye.
Amazing.
Well done, you. That was fun.
Absolutely brilliant. Thank you.
I'm ecstatic about it.
I just want to dance, do a jig!
It's restored,
it's going back to Nevis,
and Mum's got something
to remind her of her journey.
She's very proud
of what this symbolises.
So a round trip, shall I say?
From Nevis to England...
..back to Nevis.
Mark's overhaul of the radiogram
hasn't yet identified any faults,
but there's still plenty to check.
I'm going to test the valves.
The valve in this particular case
converts your basic
mains electricity
into a form of suitable
power and voltage
to allow this particular radiogram
to function correctly.
And if the valve is good...
..it should go into the green.
And it's working really good.
So we'll take that out.
Now we'll do the audio
amplifier valve.
That's what gives you the sound.
And that says that valve
is really good.
Two down, four more to go.
I've cleaned all the valve bases,
I've put those valves
back into situ.
One of the valves
wasn't working efficiently.
I've changed that.
And I've changed these components
called capacitors,
which I felt due to age
needed to be done.
I'm now turning my attention
to the turntable
because this is really the heart
of most people's radiograms.
What we need to do first
is to remove this area
where the record sits on,
which is called the platter.
We have a little circlip,
which we undo carefully,
as they have been known
to fly across the room!
TING!
It went flying! I heard it.
Well, that was a bit of luck
that something solid stopped it.
That's why you have to be careful!
Now that I've removed that circlip,
we lift the platter off,
and this exposes the mechanism
which drives all this.
So I'll get a multimeter.
Just make sure I've got condinuity.
That one there.
That one like that.
The meter is showing nothing,
but that's probably because
I need to hit it on
to make the switch operate.
And still nothing.
There's no continuity,
which means there's no current flow
through the circuit to the motor.
If I just do that,
normally a few times like this
can clean that mechanism up.
Yeah. Now the switch has been
turned on and off a few times,
it's now got a continuity...
..which is fine.
What I'm going to do now
is connect these loose wires
from the motor in the switch.
This is a safety box. It allows you
to actually do that without
having to use a mains plug.
So I'll put that on there.
I want to see if the motor
starts to turn.
There we go.
So we know that the motor
is functional. That's encouraging.
It means now I can strip it down,
clean it, re-oil it,
and then we'll see how it behaves
when I put it all back together.
Steve has already reassembled
the workings of the 1960s clock,
but there's still fine-tuning to do.
I'm just going to trip the chime
and strike mechanism now.
There we go.
After all the years
I've been doing clock repairing,
I still enjoy seeing
a mechanism like this,
chiming and striking
as it was when it was brand-new.
Right, now it's time
to get it into the case.
Will has done the most amazing job.
It's absolutely brilliant.
There we go.
Great.
I just need to get the hands on now
and then set up the hammers,
so that the chimes sound
nice and sweet.
And then it's ready
for Dorcas and Steve.
I can't wait to see their face.
So it's all working?
It's working really well.
That's what I like to hear.
The clock is a precious reminder
of Dorcas and Stephen's
parents' resilience,
but it hasn't chimed
in over 25 years.
Here we go. Hello.
Hello. Hello.
How are you both doing?
We're excited.
What are you hoping for?
I am hoping to see the clock
as I think Mum would have seen it
when she looked in the shop
window and she said to Dad,
who she called Brown,
and she said,
"Brown, that's the one for me."
"That's the one I want." Yeah.
So that's what I'm hoping for.
So, are you ready to see it?
Let's do it. Yeah, let's do it.
Are you sure? Absolutely.
If you don't, I will!
Wow. Oh, look at that!
That is brand-new.
Oh, she's a beauty.
She is an absolute beauty.
Oh, my word. Oh!
I mean...
..it looks absolutely
brand-spanking new. It's stunning.
I'm just going to...
..take this little wire
I've got there and then just...
CLOCK CHIMES
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Are you OK, Dorcas?
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
When it was chiming, I just saw you
look up. Why did you do that?
Just the memories of Mum and Dad.
Yeah.
Just the simplicity of life,
with Mum and Dad providing
that happy home for us.
So for me, that sound really does
just tug at my heartstrings
and brings back the best memories.
In a second, you've gone from,
from this year back to childhood,
instantly.
Yeah.
We're overjoyed. So it's yours
to take now. Thank you so much.
We really do appreciate all that
you've done. It's been a pleasure.
Thank you very much. Bye. Bye. Bye.
Wow.
That's nice, isn't it? Really nice.
Eh? Yeah.
For me, the clock symbolises
Mum and Dad.
It symbolises what they worked for,
what they achieved
when they came to this country.
And for a lot of people,
it may not be a big achievement,
but little things that other
people take for granted,
we see in that clock
and we're thinking,
yeah, that's a major achievement.
I wasn't sure how I would react,
but to...
..see the clock restored
and working...
..just made me feel
overwhelmed with joy.
Having addressed decades
of wear and tear,
Mark has begun reassembling
the radiogram.
Just got to finish wiring that up.
But now I've done all the
electronics,
all the components have been
replaced,
so it's beginning
to look really presentable,
ready for Patrick to have a look at
and importantly, to hear.
Got it. That's it.
It's not just really
a record player.
It's actually a little time capsule.
And he'll literally be hearing it
exactly the same way
as how Eddie originally heard it.
This radiogram, treasured
by war veteran Eddie Noble,
serves as a reminder
of the generations
who often had little choice
but to make their own entertainment,
but also of the rich musical
heritage they brought to the UK.
Now its owner, Patrick, hopes
to hear it for the very first time.
Hello. How are you doing? Are you
all right? Fine, thank you.
Good. You look proper smart.
So this is Eddie's radiogram,
isn't it? Yes.
So what are you hoping?
I'm hoping that it's repaired.
Yeah. I want to hear music
that Eddie would have heard.
He was a dear friend of mine,
but more importantly,
he served his country.
And then he stayed on
and has passed that wider history
of the Windrush generation
contributing to Britain.
So it's about Eddie, British history
and the Caribbean contribution.
So are you ready to see it?
Definitely, yeah.
This is amazing. Yeah? Yeah.
That's good. Fantastic.
Look at that.
Brilliant. And...
Oh, look at this.
Thank you. This is brilliant. I just
can't wait to listen to it now.
Brilliant.
Let's go. All the way forward. Yeah.
And then let go. OK.
MUSIC: In The Mood
by Glenn Miller
This is something Eddie loved.
Glenn Miller. Yeah. In The Mood.
It's working. Brilliant.
This is fantastic.
That's nice.
To hear it for the first time ever,
it just gives me goose pimples.
Eddie loved music, so I know for him
to give this to me was a big deal.
Yeah.
Now it's working, I want to use this
now to engage with young people
to understand this contribution
of Windrush generation.
This is history. Yeah.
And I just want to thank you
for restoring this.
It's been a pleasure.
I appreciate that.
I know Eddie would
appreciate that, too. Yes.
I might have a little toast.
I'll have a little rum and Coke
and just say, you know,
Eddie, up there... Yeah.
..listen to this, this is yours,
I'm sharing this with you.
Well, Patrick, thank you
for bringing this in
and reminding us how important
the Windrush generation are.
We'll get this shipped up to you.
Packed up and shipped up.
Thank you. You take care now.
OK. Cheers. Bye. Thanks very much.
Bye-bye. Bye-bye.
Just to have that working again,
it's going to bring that kind
of bond again with Eddie.
It's going to bring those memories
of that generation,
the Windrush generation,
that we should never, ever forget.
If you have a treasured possession
that's seen better days
and you think the team can help,
please get in touch at...
..and join us in The Repair Shop.