When I visit my elderly parents the thing we all have to gather round the telly for as their favourite must watch is The Repair Shop.

People bring their battered heirlooms, most of them of very little monetary value, but with enormous sentimental value, to be lovingly repaired by an incredibly skilled team of crafts people. They return to be handed their object clean, rejuvenated and in full working order. Their reactions to seeing their beloved objects restored is very moving and totally sincere, something so lacking on television and in life generally today.

When I was first thinking about setting up Elysium Memorials, one of the main ideas was to produce things to be passed down through a family. We all have pocket watches or tin toys our ancestors had used or played with, what will we pass down in this plastic and throw away society? I can’t imagine someone coveting a play station or smart phone through the generations. I thought if we could use highly skilled crafts people to make beautiful objects as memorials to a family member, they could be passed down and have longevity, and bring pleasure in the future too.

What a breath of fresh air The Repair Shop is, and it makes us realise how important objects are to us and the meaning they carry. Let’s keep making heirlooms for the future so the next generations remember us too!