A devoted son broke down in tears on The Repair Shop last night after one of its master leathersmiths restored a treasured gun slip he bought for his father for his 60th birthday three days before he died.
Kim Davey was left ‘overwhelmed’ by saddlemaker Suzie Fletcher’s ‘superb’ craftsmanship, admitting he ‘thought he’d lost’ the family heirloom.
Viewers were left emotional by the heartwarming BBC show, filmed at the Weald and Downland Living Museum in Singleton, West Sussex, which was a repeat – with some calling for episodes to be aired every night during lockdown.
One tweeted: ‘I know this makes me sound really old but during lockdown it would be nice to have the Repair Shop on every night. Nice to see quality craftsmanship on various items and heartwarming stories. Nice to have a break from 2020 for an hour.’
Kim Davey broke down in tears on The Repair Shop last night after one of its master leathersmiths restored a treasured gun slip he bought for his father for his 60th birthday three days before he died
Kim was left ‘overwhelmed’ by saddlemaker Suzie Fletcher’s ‘superb’ craftsmanship, admitting he ‘thought he’d lost’ the family heirloom
On arriving at the thatched workshop, Kim told Suzie he’d had the gun slip made for his father, Edward Davey, in 1987.
‘My dad was a superb father,’ he explained. ‘He didn’t have a lot of money, everything he had was ploughed into his family.
‘He was the youngest of 13, he was evacuated during the war onto the Stratfield Saye estate [in Hampshire] and he used to go out with the gamekeeper and that’s where Dad got his love for shooting.
‘He then had five children of his own, and when I was old enough to be able to have my own shotgun, we used to go out together shooting clays.
Viewers were left emotional by the heartwarming BBC show, filmed at the Weald and Downland Living Museum in Singleton, West Sussex, which was a repeat – with some calling for episodes to be aired every night during lockdown
‘His 60th birthday was coming up, and I thought, I’ll get him something special.’
Kim told how he got talking to a guy he was working with who was an ‘amateur leathersmith’ who makes cartridge bags and gun slips, so he commissioned him to make one.
‘When Dad’s birthday came I said, “I’ve got you something special,”‘ Kim recalled, with tears welling up in his eyes as he became emotional.
‘When he unwrapped it, he looked at me and he cried. First time I’d ever seen him cry and the last time I ever saw him cry.
Kim told how he got talking to a guy he was working with who was an ‘amateur leathersmith’ who makes cartridge bags and gun slips, so he commissioned him to make one for his father (pictured) for his 60th
‘This was the first time that he had something that was really nice.’
Kim said his father walked into his first clay shoot after receiving the bag and everyone said, ‘Wow, where did you get that made?’
‘His greatest line was to say, “My boy had it made for me.” He was so proud. It still gets at me now. It was a magical moment.’
Suzie remarked on the ‘beautiful’ work and ‘outstanding’ craftsmanship on the bag and agreed to freshen it up and repair the stitching – after it’s been in Kim’s cupboard for 28 years.
Emotional Kim told how the gun slip was the ‘first time that he had something that was really nice’
‘When Dad died I got it out a couple of times to go shooting with it, but it just upset me too much and I couldn’t do it.’
Suzie promised to put ‘all her love’ into the piece – and Kim was thrilled by the results.
‘It’s absolutely superb, superb! I can’t see it because of the tears in my eyes,’ Kim enthused.
‘It’s beautiful. There were three people involved in this, me, my dad, and Ken who made it, and now there’s four. You’re part of that history, and I’m very pleased that you’re there.’
Suzie promised to put ‘all her love’ into the piece – which had become worn and tatty after 28 years in a cupboard
Remarking on Suzie’s work, Kim said: ‘It’s absolutely superb, superb! I can’t see it because of the tears in my eyes’
Suzie said his kind remarks made her feel ‘very special’ – and they certainly moved viewers at home.
One tweeted: ‘Guy reacting to the restored gun sling got me teary even though it’s a repeat. Suzie once again doing an amazing job, and loved them showing Steve looking over like the proud brother.’
Another wrote: ‘The chap with the gun holder was an absolute peach. What a lovely man.’
And one commented: ‘If you are not crying at the lovely gentleman with his gun cover, you officially have no heart.’
Suzie said his kind remarks made her feel ‘very special’ – and they certainly moved viewers at home who took to Twitter to remark on the emotional story