The Repair Shop viewers in tears after man brings in a handbag of mum he never got to meet

THE Repair Shop viewers were left in tears after a guest brought in a handbag belonging to his mum, who he never got to meet. Derek Lee, from Stockport, appeared on the BBC One show to ask leather expert Suzie Fletcher and silversmith Brenton West to restore a very special leather clutch. Derek was just […]

THE Repair Shop viewers were left in tears after a guest brought in a handbag belonging to his mum, who he never got to meet.

Derek Lee, from Stockport, appeared on the BBC One show to ask leather expert Suzie Fletcher and silversmith Brenton West to restore a very special leather clutch.

Derek was just two-years-old when he lost his mum and the bag is the only thing he has in connection with her.

He told the experts: “Inside I found a photograph of my mother, who I have never seen before.

“So at the age of 82 I was able to see a photograph of my mother and a photograph of me as a young child.”

Suzie asked why he had never seen a photo of his mum and he explained that it was because he was brought up by his father and his wife.

Soon after his dad passed away in the 1960s, he found out that the woman he grew up thinking was his mother, wasn’t actually his biological mum.

Derek decided to do some research online about his birth mother and found out that she died in 1938 – when he was just two-years-old.

“It does make me emotional at times to think of it,” he told the pair.

An intrigued Suzie went on to ask: “How did you come by the bag?”

Derek explained: “I found a cousin, Beryl, and she produced this bag!

“My mother’s sister took care of it for 50 years and Beryl looked after it for the next 30 odd years, it was so so incredible to find this after all this time and to know that my mother had looked after me at that time.”

He added: “It’s looking a little bit worse for wear in many parts for it. The whole thing just makes a package which fills my heart I suppose.”

Trying not to shed a tear, Derek told the camera: “The bag is the only thing I have that is a tangible reference to my mother and her life so it means everything to me to have this.”

Fans of the hit show couldn’t hold in their emotions as Derek told his incredible story on screen.

One wrote on Twitter: “What a story to with that handbag  #therepairshop.”

A second said: “In bits over the story behind the handbag  #therepairshop.”

A third tweeted: “Omg. The bag story. I’ve not even seen the finished article yet and I’ve “got something in my eye”  #therepairshop.”

A fourth added: “Wow, choker alert! What an incredible story behind the handbag  #therepairshop.”

Another chimed in: “Oh dear, in tears watching Derek on #therepairshop. He was 82 before he saw a picture of his mother who dies when he was a baby.”

Suzie began to work her magic to try and tone down the bright areas to disguise the damage.

She also tried her best to create something pleasing to the eye and true to the art deco style as she created a new shoulder strap for the bag.

Derek’s story moved them so much that presenter Jay Blades made copies of the special photo for him and framed one for him to keep.

The 82-year-old was so pleased with their efforts when he finally got to see the bag once again.

He told the camera: “I think now my mum is hopefully looking down on us and maybe saying ‘well done darling, it’s taken a long, long time, but I think maybe now, we’ve found each other’.”

The Repair Shop is available to watch on the BBC iPlayer.