A guest on BBC's The Repair Shop was overcome with emotion after the show's experts delivered an 'unbelievable' restoration of a cherished childhood doll. Annette, who grew up during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, brought the doll to the barn hoping it could be repaired.
An Emotional Journey
The doll, given to Annette when she was 11 during a trip to Holland amid bomb scares, had lost its eyes and showed signs of ageing. 'We had a lot of shooting, ordinary people were killed just because of religion,' she recalled. 'Our childhood wasn't really happy, you were frightened.'
Annette lived with a host family in Holland that took in both a Protestant and a Catholic child to promote understanding. 'At the end of our stay, they presented us with little dolls, and I just fell in love with her. She means so much,' she said. 'I swore I would look after her, but unfortunately... it's so sad.'
The Restoration
Experts Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchell worked their magic on the doll, while Will Kirk crafted a tiny pair of wooden clogs. When Annette returned, she was visibly anxious: 'The excitement's killing me!'
Upon seeing the restored doll, she gasped: 'Oh! Dear God, she is beautiful. How did you get her eyes back?' With tears streaming, she added: 'I'm shaking. Dear God. Oh, that's unbelievable. I don't know what to say, I am really, really shocked. Her hair and everything, you washed it!'
Amanda and Julie then revealed the clogs, prompting Annette to exclaim: 'Now she's a Dutch doll, isn't she? That is beautiful, thank you ever so much! She is just precious, she really means the world.'
The Repair Shop is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
