Will Kirk Nearly Cries During Emotional Repair
The Repair Shop expert Will Kirk was visibly emotional during a recent episode of the beloved BBC show. The woodwork restorer, a fan favourite, admitted he was 'going to cry' after a touching restoration involving a pair of baby shoes with a wartime story.
During Wednesday's (July 8) episode, Will and shoe restorer Dean Westmoreland were joined by Barbara Dennison and her granddaughter Giovanna. The pair sought help restoring baby shoes that held precious memories of wartime heroism. The shoes belonged to Barbara's late father, Norman William, who received them in Holland in 1945 after rescuing a young girl during World War II.
The Story Behind the Shoes
Barbara recalled the emotional tale: 'He was going down the street in Holland and there was a little girl playing in the street. Some shooting started and he grabbed this little girl and jumped into a cellar. When the shooting finished, he took her back to her mum and dad. The family must have been really grateful because he saved her. They must have been talking and he told them that he had a little girl, then they brought him these little shoes.'
She continued: 'Shortly after that his jeep got blown up but they survived, which is a miracle in itself.'
Dean Westmoreland's Restoration Challenge
Dean admitted feeling 'nervous' about the delicate task. He said: 'They're so delicate and so small that I'm a little bit nervous about handling them. Unfortunately, I can't scale my hands down to get in and do all this fine micro-detail work. The lining on this one is actually, almost all of it has come away. The leather is quite stiff, it's quite dry so I'm going to have to think about how to hydrate this leather.'
Despite the challenge, Dean successfully restored the shoes. Barbara was moved to tears upon seeing them, saying: 'Oh that's lovely. Look it's all stitched on. Oh Dean, thank you. You've done exactly what I wanted. Each crack is just a wonderful memory of my dad and all my kids.'
Will turned to Barbara and Giovanna and confessed: 'You're going to make me cry.' Barbara expressed her gratitude: 'I can't thank you enough.'
You can catch up on The Repair Shop on BBC iPlayer.
