Will Kirk, a craftsman on BBC's The Repair Shop, was visibly emotional after learning the poignant history behind a handmade chess set brought in for restoration. The segment aired on The Repair Shop on the Road, where Kirk met Debbi, who hoped to restore the set crafted by her late father.
Debbi revealed that her father died at age 37 from multiple sclerosis (MS). She explained that the family moved to Canada for his work when she was a toddler, but returned to Scotland after his first MS symptoms appeared. 'He went from being this guy who would be throwing me over his shoulder to a man who was bedridden,' she said.
Kirk asked why the chess set was so important to her. Debbi replied: 'He has put the time and the effort into crafting each piece. To have something that I can hold, that he has held, it's invaluable. Restoring it so that it can be used, so that I can teach my kids how to play chess on it.'
The BBC shared the clip on Instagram, captioning it: 'To have something that I can hold, that he has held. It's invaluable.' Viewers were deeply touched, with one commenting: 'Such a beautiful chess set. I'm so sorry to hear such an awful story.'
