A Northern Ireland man made a deeply emotional appearance on the hit BBC series ‘The Repair Shop’.
The heartwarming restoration programme sees guests eager to see their treasured belongings brought back to their former glory by the show's skilled craftspeople.
Wednesday night's episode focused on owner and trainer Dr Neil Powell and his late and much-loved border collie, Pepper, who played a crucial role in the aftermath of the Lockerbie bombing.
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The four-legged hero qualified as a search and rescue dog at just 18 months old. The brightest dog Neil has ever known, Pepper also helped rescue a young German boy, who had been missing for over 36 hours in terrible weather.
But his most significant contribution came after the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, when he, along with other rescue dogs, worked tirelessly in harsh conditions sifting through the wreckage. Tragically, their efforts came at a cost, as Pepper and several of the other dogs later developed cancer due to exposure to the contaminated site, all passing away at a young age.
Dr Powell, founder of Search and Rescue Dog Association in Northern Ireland (SARDA Ireland North), brought Pepper’s well-worn search and rescue jacket and collar to The Court Barn, seeking to restore them in honour of his heroic dog’s remarkable bravery.
For Neil, from Newcastle, it's imperative that Pepper’s well-worn search and rescue jacket and collar are restored to keep his memory alive as he explained: “Pepper was a mountain rescue dog and in his day saved at least 16 lives. In the 1988 disaster, he and two or three other dogs worked quite extensively in the crater area of Lockerbie at the start searching for survivors, and sadly they all developed nasal or respiratory cancers.
“Pepper died very young of a tumour in his lungs which really was heartbreaking and horrendous - he was only nine. Pepper was a beautiful, very, very special little dog and such a character. He had a thing for playing with anything, paper, rubbish, anything and he’s greatly missed. He always wore the distinctive green jacket and collar when working and getting ‘The Repair Shop’ team to bring it back to life really was a fitting tribute for such a heroic little dog.”
The emotional task of restoring the cherished items was entrusted to leather restoration expert Suzie Fletcher and textile conservator Rebecca Bissonnet. The team painstakingly cleaned the jacket and revived the leather collar, revealing the years of wear and Pepper’s sacrifice as well as 'something special for Neil'.
Dr Powell said: “The entire experience at the Barn was wonderful. The courtesy of the entire staff was one of the outstanding features for me – so down to earth and respectful. Their questions about Pepper and his role in search and rescue were gentle and I hope informative for the audience.
“They were very sensitive to the fact that even today my experience at Lockerbie holds a great deal of pain. Indeed all of us who were there still remember it vividly and with great sadness. Seeing the jacket and collar was outstanding and what the team has done fills me with great pride. Pepper’s legacy will now be preserved for many years to come and I’m extremely grateful.”
Viewers were overwhelmed with emotion when they learned about Pepper's sad fate and tears flowed freely.
Taking to X, one person said: "Already crying at #therepairshop."
Another viewer added: "The border collie rescue jacket will have me sobbing by the end as I've had a few Border collies who looked like brave Pepper."
"Pepper was a hero, No idea of the story about the search dogs.", said a third.
The Repair Shop airs on Wednesdays at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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