The Repair Shop guest gasps at military trophy’s ‘astounding’ makeover

A guest on The Repair Shop was left gasping after a military trophy was given an ‘astounding’ makeover after stunning the BBC experts with the effort that earned him the accolade. 

Former serviceman Mike Webb took to the series in hope that the specialists would be able to bring his prized possession back to its former glory as the 16th series of the show kickstarted. 

Mike met with experts Charlotte Abbott and Sonnaz Nooranvary to show them the award, a small model car placed on top of a wooden stand, engraved with his name and the details of the expedition. 

At the age of 21, Mike had served in a mission travelling a 250-mile stretch of mountains, ravine, jungles and swamp between Colombia and Panama.

Mike told the pair: ‘This is a trophy presented to me by the Rover Company on the successful completion of the first ever crossing of the American continent from north to south by vehicle. 

‘Our regiment was chosen to lead the vehicle part of the team. They said, “You can have two of these new vehicles, and you can drive them the 18,000 miles from Alaska to Cape Horn”.

‘Just the six of us started off from Anchorage in Alaska, and we drove down through the American continent, then, unfortunately, in the middle, there is the Darien Gap.’ 

Mike explained that travellers would normally use a ferry to travel south, and that they were would be the first to have driven a vehicle through the Darien Gap. 

He explained how the muddy terrain saw them struggling to navigate the jungle, with the swamp tyres they had been provided with no match from the conditions.  

Mike added of the trophy, a replica of the exact car they drove: ‘There’s not much of this left now, but there was a roof rack here, and we had two aluminium ladders on the top.

‘You put two together over these obstacles. That got us over so many different obstacles. Some days we might only do twenty-five metres.’

‘It was an unbelievable experience, it really was,’ he added, explaining how they would drive on ladders, or load the car into a dinghy to cross water.  

The entire journey took six months to complete, eventually meeting their final destination after crossing into Peru and then Chile in the Range Rover. 

As the trophy had been sat in pride of place in his home for many years, the paint had faded – and experts Charlotte and Sonnaz were keen to get stuck in restoring it. 

Charlotte was then seen making tiny new elements to add to the trophy piece, including a miniature ladder and chair, and fixing the tiny details of the car. 

Mike soon returned to take the piece home, alongside his daughter Natasha, who told the experts how much she was looking forward to seeing the ‘significant’ object’s restoration.

As Charlotte and Sonnaz unveiled the car, Mike was left gasping as he told them: ‘That’s amazing! Can I touch it? Astounding! How did you manage that?! Everything looks so realistic and just as it was.’

‘It takes me back, it really does,’ Mike added as he fought back his emotions.  

Earlier this year, another show guest braced herself as a ring she was given by her parents and had never taken off was CUT off her finger. 

Sally O’Connor, from Sussex, appeared on the BBC show hoping experts could help with the treasured item.

On her wedding day, Sally’s father had gifted her late mother’s diamond engagement ring – and she hadn’t removed it since.

Sally panicked when the diamond fell out last year and although she soon found it, a repair proved tricky as the ring was stuck on her finger.

As goldsmith Richard Talman readied the ring cutters, foreman Dom Chinea told Sally: ‘We can’t put it off any longer. We’re going to have to cut it off. I hope it goes well.’

To which she explained: ‘I am very nervous. I don’t think I can look. But I can’t take it off. It is stuck on. 

‘I have tried ice and olive oil. I have tried the ribbon technique. Nothing.’

Continuing, she explained how the ring is naturally very close to her heart, given the family connection.

Sally said: ‘In 1992, my mum passed away very, very suddenly of cancer. And on my wedding day, my dad came to the house and presented me with mum’s engagement ring.

‘He’d saved it especially and I couldn’t stop crying because that’s when I saw it again for the first time since mum had passed away. 

‘And I do think of mum every time I look at the ring. She’s with me all the time when it’s on my finger. 

‘I am really hoping that you can make it complete again. Just to have the diamond back in would mean the world to me.’

Upon removing the ring, Richard then got to work on its restoration, which included taking measurements to get the correct size.

Addressing the show’s fans, he said: ‘This ring clearly has had a very loved journey throughout its life. 

‘And it is most certainly not Sally’s fault that the diamond fell out.

‘The claws that were holding it in, all eight of them, have just worn away. 

‘I’m really looking forward to being able to get this back in and make it whole again.’

After completing the restoration in a pain-staking process, Sally and father James come to the barn to see the final result.

Delighted with the repair work, Sally said: ‘I have never seen it sparkle so much. It is shining – like mum. This means the world to me. 

‘It brings me back to my wedding day. Mum was very special and had a certain shine, didn’t she? Words can’t say how happy I am. I feel Mum is back with me.’

James added: ‘It is so sparkling and clean. You have done a super job.’

Previously, a guest on The Repair Shop was visibly emotional while recounting his friend’s tragic death – before being wowed by a ‘miraculous’ restoration.

Jonny, a rugby fan from Salisbury, met with Will Kirk and textiles expert Rebecca Bissonnet on the BBC show.

He brought along a flag with huge sentimental value to him, explaining its history in the process.

Unravelling the flag, Jonny shared: ‘This flag was presented by the Ireland team to the captain of the England team as a memento of the game.

‘My grandfather, Jack Siggins, played rugby for Ireland and captained Ireland in this game in 1936.’

As the flag had changed hands away from Ireland to England, Will asked how it came to be in Jonny’s possession.

He recalled having drinks with a friend named Olly, where they each discussed their connection to rugby.

Olly’s grandfather, Bernard Gadney, captained England in the same era that Jonny’s grandfather led the Ireland side.

However, the flag ultimately came to be owned by Jonny under heartbreaking circumstances.

Fighting back tears, he said: ‘Olly was tragically killed in a road accident and at his memorial service, his father George said, “I have something that I’d like you to have”… this flag.

‘He explained that it would have gone to Olly, but now, because of our link, he thought it was appropriate that it came to me.’

Paying tribute to his late friend, Jonny described Olly as ‘generous, kind and warm-hearted’ and added how missed he was.

He added: ‘It should be him doing this today, but it’s me instead.’

Although the flag was very fragile, Rebecca was able to use her expertise to restore it.

She and Will presented the flag to a very moved and thankful Jonny, who said: ‘That’s amazing, you’ve worked a miracle.

‘I’m absolutely staggered.’

Jonny continued: ‘A big bit of my motivation for getting it fixed was to preserve Olly’s memory. Now it’s repaired, I’m really looking forward to showing Olly’s family.

‘It’ll be such a lovely opportunity to come together to honour him and to say thank you.’

The Repair Shop airs on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.