Switch on BBC1’s The Repair Shop, and each episode follows a comforting, well-worn path. Cherished objects are brought back to life through the meticulous patience, care and skill of craftspeople, reflecting the love and value bestowed on them by their owners. Host and furniture restorer Jay Blades is an invaluable part of The Repair Shop shed’s unique atmosphere, but his personal path that brought him here has been anything but smooth.
However, fiercely proud of his roots, Jay feels the struggles he faced growing up – from experiencing racism to being written off by teachers due to his undiagnosed dyslexia, falling in with the wrong crowd to finding himself homeless – have all made him the man he is today. “Growing up being Black in Hackney there were times where people…
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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, January 2024