Booka Bookshop Presents...

Join us for an evening with much loved TV presenter Jay Blades, the star of the hit BBC One show The Repair Shop.

We're thrilled to welcome Jay Blades to Oswestry to celebrate the paperback publication of Making It, his Sunday Times Bestselling memoir about beating all the odds and turning things round when it all seems hopeless.

Jay Blades, is a modern furniture restorer, up-cycler and eco designer devoted to sustainability, social enterprise and inclusion. His personality, enthusiasm, and empathy shines brightly on our TV screens as the host of The Repair Shop. However his cheery, sympathetic demeanour masks an upbringing full of challenges.

In his book, Making It, Jay Blades shares the details of his life, from his childhood growing up sheltered and innocent on a council estate in Hackney, to his adolescence when he was introduced to violent racism at secondary school, to being brutalized by police as a teen. His dyslexia proved severely challenging throughout his education. He eventually became an upholsterer, fixing furniture and other household objects, and so cultivating the skills that would later help secure him the role of welcoming people to The Repair Shop

Jay reflects on his strength, weakness and what it means to be a man. He questions the boundaries society places on male vulnerability and how letting himself be nurtured helped him flourish into the person he is today. An expert at giving a second life to cherished items, Jay's positivity, pragmatism and kindness shine through these pages and show that with care and love, anything can be mended.

Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to see Jay and hear his inspirational story!