Thatcham Street Auction

These days, we often live very close to each other,

yet we can feel miles apart from one another. But not today.

Because today, this street is going to be jam-packed full of family,

friends and neighbours,

all here to raise money for one incredibly special person.

And the best part of it is,

she hasn't got a clue all of this is for her.

91-year-old poppy seller Joyce Lovelock continues to inspire

and help the townsfolk she loves with all her heart.

-She's like the queen of Thatcham.

-Right, OK.

-Hail, Joyce, we love you.

I just idolise her.

We think it's about time she was rewarded

for all her wonderful deeds,

so we're going to have a street auction on her behalf.

-ALL:

-Three, two, one.

-Yay! Whoo!

But will Joyce's neighbours return the favour and donate enough?

That's absolutely beautiful. Onyx. I love the dials on it.

-And this one's Thatcham, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Thank you very much.

-You're very welcome.

-That's so collectible.

-Is it?

-They're never out of fashion.

-Oh, OK.

You've been really generous, all of you. Ah.

But it's not going to be easy.

No-one in. Let's try next door.

-DOG BARKS

-Hopefully, he won't munch on ME!

No-one in there. Big dog though. DOG BARKS

Let me just shut the gate. Hang on.

And how will our local hero react

when she discovers this is all for her?

This is all for you, my darling.

Today, we're in the Berkshire town of Thatcham.

It became a Norman village in the 11th century

and now has a population of 25,000.

But one women is a one-in-a-million resident who works tirelessly

for local charities and her neighbours in need,

and that's 91-year-old Joyce Lovelock.

As her saying is, "Never fear, Joyce is here."

I just think she's a credit to us all.

Whether it's selling poppies for her beloved British Legion

or caring for pensioners who are younger than she is,

Joyce is a woman who never tires of giving.

I feel I'm helping somebody.

That's me.

'I met up with her daughters, Sue and Elaine,

'near Joyce's retirement flat to find out more about her.'

So, when did Mum first move here?

Mum moved here nearly 30 years ago

and she said, "If I ever moved, I want to stay in Thatcham,

"because Thatcham's my life, Thatcham's my heart,"

and that's where she wanted to stay.

Joyce was born in Thatcham in 1925, one of nine children,

including sisters Audrey and Shirley.

We were poor but happy. We had really good parents and...

-There was no money.

-There was no money,

there was no material things, but Mum made do and mend.

When it came to helping others, Joyce's mum, Elsie, led by example.

She always helped people. She did.

She was always washing and ironing for somebody.

Joyce married husband Harold and had three children,

but their 30 happy years together ended when he passed away.

He had rheumatoid arthritis, he was unrecognisable.

He wasn't the dad we knew growing up

that was always full of laughter and fun.

Even though it's over 40-odd years...

..not a day goes by when we don't think of him.

Couldn't wish for a better husband.

With Harold now gone,

Joyce threw herself into charity work and helping others.

They always used to say, "Look after those that can't help themselves."

I always think of these words, yes, I do.

I'm just so proud of her.

You just mention her name in the village

and everybody knows of her

or knows what she's done to help and she's just an amazing lady.

-So, she's up really early?

-She's up at five in the morning.

-Yeah.

-Gets herself ready and...

-Off she goes.

-She gets the papers.

She gets the papers for the neighbours,

-does their shopping as well.

-Yes.

-That's right.

Then she picks up the shopping lists, does all their shopping.

How long has she been doing the poppy appeal for, selling poppies?

-55 years.

-55 years?

-This is her life.

She just loves collecting for the poppies

and now seeing all the soldiers that are coming back

that are wounded and families and everything, she...

-She's got a great heart and soul.

-She has.

-She has.

-She has.

To thank Joyce for all her years of selling poppies

and the good deeds she does for her neighbours,

we want to send her and her family here,

the National Memorial Arboretum.

The cost will be £1,000, and this is how we're going to do it.

The plan is we tread the pavements around Thatcham,

knocking on as many doors as we can today,

asking all of Joyce's friends and neighbours

to donate any unwanted or unloved items they have,

so we can sell in a pop-up street auction

which is happening in about a month's time.

Now, that is a big ask.

But we also need to keep this a secret from Joyce

until after the auction.

And looking around here at this tightknit community,

that is going to be a challenge and a half.

Now, I can't do this by myself,

so I've called in car boot sale bargain hunter

and upcycling queen Irina Aggrey to help me.

-Give us a hug.

-Morning!

-Good morning!

-You don't now what you let yourself in for.

-I know!

-Come on, let's walk and talk, OK.

-Yes, let's do it.

I want to help her and I need your help.

She sounds as if she's got a heart of gold,

-so we need to put her first.

-Yeah.

-Definitely.

We've got a bric-a-brac stall, we've got second-hand books,

-second-hand kids' clothes, bikes, toys, you name it.

-Everything!

We've got crafts as well, and that's where you come in,

cos hopefully, you can upcycle a few things.

Yeah, I'll put some TLC in there and see what happens

and, hopefully, we can make a few quid.

-Make some bucks - that's what it's all about.

-Yes.

I'm going over there, so let's start around there.

-I'll keep an eye on you.

-OK, good luck.

'So, good people of Thatcham, what have you got for us?'

No-one in. Right, let's try next door..

No luck. At least the houses are close together.

Let's go over there.

'Every cloud has a silver lining.'

No, no joy. OK, let's try another one.

DOG BARKS Yeah, I see you!

DOG CONTINUES TO BARK

-DOG BARKS

-Hopefully, he won't munch on ME!

No-one in there. Big dog though. DOG BARKS

Sounds like a little dog in this house. Listen to this.

DOG YAPS

Dogs all over the place.

They're having a conversation with each other. "Don't let them in."

Oh, hello. Oh, let me just shut the gate. Hang on. Is he friendly?

-Is it a boy or girl?

-Yes, he's friendly.

It's a boy and goes by the name of Raffa.

The owner, Norman, might have something for us in his garage.

Oh, I'm loving this! This is a proper adventure.

-I quite like those.

-They're made for...

-Carpentry and joining is what I used to do years ago.

-Yes.

These are really handy.

These aren't proper joinery or carpentry benches,

just horses to saw wood on top,

but they could be handy for someone and might fetch a couple of pounds.

-Would you be willing to donate these?

-Yes.

-Brilliant, thank you.

-There's a couple of old bikes here as well, if you...

-Old bikes?

-Let's have a look.

-That's more like it.

The mountain bikes are made by a respected Australian company

and, in good second-hand condition, could make £20 each.

-Who did these belong to before?

-My daughter and her husband.

-They live in the Caribbean.

-Oh, really?

It's obviously too hot to cycle in the Caribbean.

-'But it's about time

-I

-found something.'

-What's your name, by the way?

-Steve.

-Steve, it's Paul.

That brass horse thing. That's probably worth...

It weighs an absolute ton. You're welcome to take that.

'Once very popular, brass ornaments have fallen out of fashion,

'partly because they need a lot of polishing.

'On the bric-a-brac stall, I still think it could make a fiver.'

Brilliant! Thank you. Thank you. Sorry to barge in on you.

Now off her bike, Irina's met 84-year-old Douglas.

Anything that you were going to clear out,

send off to the junk shop or something.

-Let's have a look.

-Can I follow you?

-Come in.

Now, Douglas once owned an antique shop,

so we might have a bit of luck here.

-Is this marble?

-Onyx.

-Oh, onyx.

-Yes.

Onyx is a type of stone that's been carved

and used in jewellery and ornament making for centuries.

-Oh, wow.

-It's not working though.

That's OK cos some clockmakers could get this to work again.

-And you bought this in Paris?

-Yes.

That's absolutely beautiful. Onyx.

-And I love the dials on it. Oh...

-It's lovely.

-How old do you think this is?

-Pre-war.

-Pre-war?

-Yeah.

Douglas's late 19-century French clock might be broken

but it would be an attractive buy

for someone who collects and fixes clocks.

It's such a generous gift for you to donate. Thank you very much.

And that's going to be now on someone's mantelpiece on display.

-That's right, that's what it's for.

-It's stunning.

What's even more stunning is Douglas is new to the area

and doesn't even know Joyce.

'Now, that's generosity.

'I, meanwhile, have moved from the street onto the high street.'

We've got to start here - a good old cut and blow-dry.

'I bet they know about Joyce in here.' You know her, yeah?

-She used to babysit me when I was little.

-Well, there you go.

-Yeah.

OK, does she go shopping for all the other old folk?

-Yeah, she comes up here.

-Brilliant, you all know her.

-Yeah, we all know her.

-What I'm after is, let's say,

-a free cut and blow-dry that I can auction off.

-Yeah.

-Could you do that?

-Yeah.

-You said Joyce used to babysit you.

-Me and my sister, yeah.

Tell me about her then.

Um, she's a friend of the family's and she used to have her hair done

at my dad's place and she used to look after me and my sister

after school and before that.

We used to stay overnight when she lived in Chapel Street.

Should be tears all round on the day.

-You've been a big help, thank you.

-Thank you.

-Mums the word.

-Thank you.

-Brilliant!

'But outside, look who I see.'

I was just sitting down having a well-earned coffee break

and I just saw Joyce walk past. There, look.

She's just gone down to the baker's shop. Do you know what?

When she comes out of there, I'm going in that baker's shop,

cos they obviously know her and, hopefully, we can get some buns.

'The coast is clear,

'so let's go and see if they can bake up a storm for us.

'And, luckily, these ladies are some of Joyce's biggest fans.'

She is the most sweetest, caring, kind individual.

-She would do anything for anybody.

-And she does.

She lives in an old people's home,

she's probably one of the oldest ladies there,

and she's always coming in.

She does all their shopping, she looks after them,

-she gets all their medicine, gets all their stuff for them.

-Oh, wow.

-She's the star of Thatcham.

-She's like the queen of Thatcham.

-Right, OK.

-Hail, Joyce, we love you.

I love her to bits!

'I think some iced buns are heading our way.'

Could you make some cakes for us to sell or something like that?

-I'm sure we can.

-Whatever you've got, it would great.

We could sell them

There will be a lot of people turning up and they'll be hungry.

'Let them eat cake, I say.'

-Back on the street, Irina's spirits are getting even higher.

-Oh, wow!

-They look gorgeous.

-Add to your collection.

-Thank you so much.

-Do you know where these are from?

-No, no idea.

-They're so nice.

You could put some nice whisky in there.

The popularity of spirit decanters began to fade in the 1960s,

but John has one good idea for starting a revival.

Do you want me to fill it up?

Oh, yes, please!

Unfilled, they could still reach £2 each on the bric-a-brac stall

and it's all for Joyce's benefit.

We know Joyce, yeah.

-Everybody knows Joyce.

-Yeah, I do know her.

She's always been a very caring lady.

She's had a lot to do with the British Legion, selling poppies.

Always caring for the elderly.

Joyce is particularly devoted to the British Legion

because of her father, Edward's, service in the First World War.

He didn't want to leave us, course he didn't.

But he had a duty to do, so he was willing to do it.

Edward was in the Royal Artillery

and fought in the Battle of the Somme.

After the war, he returned home to be with his family.

He was very, very lucky to come back, especially with the trenches.

He was in the trenches.

He used to have...scream out in the night

because he relived his time in the trenches.

He suffered with his lungs because he was gassed.

Joyce began selling poppies 55 years ago,

in memory of her father and would often take her daughters with her.

I can remember being a small child

and my sister, we would go round all over Thatcham

getting money to put in the poppy tin.

As well as selling poppies,

Joyce attends every Remembrance service,

wearing her father's medals.

I feel I've done something to help the country,

especially the servicemen.

BELL RINGS

-Do many people use that?

-They do sometimes.

-They do, yeah?

-It's too tempting. I love it.

-I like your jacket.

-Oh, thank you.

Thanks a lot. Well, I love your bell.

-Um, did you get a leaflet through the door?

-I did.

-So you know what this is about.

-Yes.

-Street Auction.

-Yeah, I've got a few bits for you.

-Have you? # Hallelujah! #

And inside, Rosemary is true to her word.

-That's so collectible!

-Is it?

-Love it, yes. That's fantastic.

-People go crazy for these.

-Do they?

-They're never out of fashion.

-Oh, OK.

Before we had rubber hot water bottles,

we had these, made of ceramic.

As well as being used in bed,

they were often taken on long draughty coach rides

to keep the passengers warm.

-What did you use to use it for?

-A doorstop.

-Really?

-Yeah. It used to sit on there. It used to be a doorstop.

I reckon we could get a fiver for it on the bric-a-brac stall.

But Rosemary has raided her jewellery box too.

So, these are like semiprecious stones.

They're so pretty. I love the green colour.

-Hand-made?

-I don't know.

-Probably were actually.

-Where did you get them from?

I got them from a crafts sale many years ago,

-so they probably were hand-made, actually.

-They're lovely.

They are beautiful and silver is very contemporary. But there's more.

-These need a clean, actually.

-Are they silver as well?

-They are.

-I can't get them on any more.

-Beautiful, look at that.

-You could.

Yeah, I know, I've got tiny wrists.

Gorgeous, look at that!

Don't get too attached, Irina. Those bangles are saleroom bound.

-You been with Granny today then?

-Yeah.

-Ah, that's sweet, isn't it?

'Back on the street,

'I met Linda and granddaughter Millie returning home.'

You know where you live?

Oh, bless! Oh, isn't that sweet?

Have you got anything you can donate towards our street party?

-Yeah, I've got stuff in the garage.

-Can we come and have a look?

-Yes.

Thank you. Thank you. Bless you.

Are we going to be allowed to take things away if they were yours?

You might not let us. 'Now that could be tricky.'

This is going to be really hard to take away.

I know what kids are like.

I've got a daughter and anything pink doesn't leave the house.

-She's got plenty.

-Will we be able to sell this?

-Yes.

-Can we sell this so other little girls can play with it?

-Yeah.

-Can we do that?

-Yeah.

-Do you know something?

-You're such a good sharer, aren't you?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Oh, bless!

'Not only is Millie letting us have her old toys,

'she's even carrying them out.'

Ah! We'll put one there. There we go.

What's this? Do you know what this is?

-Yeah, that's a book.

-What's that one?

-That's an elephant.

-Yeah, elephant.

-That's one.

-That's a number one.

-Yeah, and four.

-That's a number two.

'We should get 50p a book and at least a couple of pounds

'for a good second-hand kiddy's toy.' Ah.

It does need a bit of attention.

Back at Rosemary's,

an old timepiece could strike the right note for the saleroom.

-Are you giving this away?

-Well, it needs repairing and, yeah,

I've actually had it fixed once and it's gone again, so...

Beautiful, classic watch there. Lady's watch.

The watch is made by Longines, a luxury Swiss manufacturer,

founded in 1832.

It might not work,

but I think that could tick-tock to £50 in the saleroom.

More bling! More earrings.

Yeah, lots of the stones are missing from those.

That's OK, you can't tell.

-Somebody might be able to put the stones back or whatever.

-Yes.

These drop earrings are a lovely classic shape,

especially with the fringe below.

These are absolutely stunning.

I think somebody's going to really love these and cherish them.

-Hopefully.

-Thank you so much.

All of Rosemary's jewellery can go off to auction, where the auctioneer

will probably split them into groups to get the very best price.

I' going to give you a hug. Thank you so much, thank you.

What a wonderful donation. And we're still getting more at Millie's.

-Children's wardrobe?

-Yes, please. Can we have that?

-Yes.

We could paint that a bright colour. Oh! That's brilliant. Are you sure?

-Positive. Take it out.

-Yes, yes.

-Right, do you know what?

I'm going to get this out before you change your mind.

That's brilliant!

If you had to buy something like that from a department store,

it would cost you £120, £150.

We can paint that and I reckon we'll get £30 for that. It's brilliant.

You've been really generous, all of you.

-A Denby pot.

-A Denby pottery? Denby's such a great make!

You know what's so good about these?

They still make them, so if you break it,

you can pop into a shop and buy it. It looks brand-new.

-Does Mummy not use it, no?

-Er, no.

-Thank you so much.

-That's OK.

Hmm, wow! Very nice, thank you.

Joyce has lived in Thatcham all her life

and loves the place and the people.

That's the church where she married Harold.

One of Joyce's neighbours, Margaret, might have something

'that could attract some local attention too.'

-Can we have them?

-Yes.

-Oh, fantastic! Thank you.

Oh, really nice. I know they're only... That one's a modern print.

-That one's...

-This one's Thatcham, isn't it?

-Yeah, that's St Mary's Church in Thatcham.

-Yeah.

That's a print as well, but it's a limited edition. 41 of 100.

I think we could sell that locally and someone might buy that,

don't you? Isn't that sweet? Oh, thank you very much!

-You're very welcome.

-Thank you very much.

Now, here, I've got,

it looks like a sort of 1980s print, mass-produced.

We might get a couple of quid for that. And this one's another print.

It's a limited edition of 41 out of 100.

We might get £10 for that, which is great. It's all going to help.

I wonder if Irina will uncover anything else with a local link?

Hello, sir. Oh, a meerkat. Oh, my God, that's amazing!

-I'm not so sure, Irina.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Have you named him?

-No, no, I haven't.

-Who gave it to you?

-Well, I've got some more in there.

-Have you?

-Yes.

-Oh, my gosh.

He just whips this out from behind the door. It's a meerkat.

I'm in love with him already.

Right now, meerkat stone statues are very popular garden ornaments.

This is definitely the indoor variety,

but its cuteness factor should garner £5 on our stalls.

-Bye.

-Bye.

But right now, I'm heading to the local post office,

where Joyce is one of Sue's regular customers.

Whether it's cold, rainy, hot, she's here, all weathers.

She also comes into the shop to do everybody's shopping.

-She's one in a million.

-Yeah.

As her saying is, "Never fear, Joyce is here."

-That's nice, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-"Never fear, Joyce is here."

And Joyce is here for all her neighbours,

as sisters Shirley and Audrey know only too well.

Early morning papers for at least, I think, nine or ten people, isn't it?

And that would be round about 7 o'clock, isn't it?

Yeah, 7 o'clock, half past.

And then she goes to get prescriptions and shopping

for two or three people.

One of the couples she goes shopping for daily

is her younger sister Lorna, who has dementia,

and her husband Douglas.

What sort of a night did you have? Dougie had a good night?

Cos he's going today, isn't he? Or is it tomorrow?

LORNA MUMBLES

I shall do your shopping and get your things.

-Need soup.

-You want...soup? All right.

-She's wonderful!

-Oh!

I can't say enough about her help.

When I see her, I'm so pleased. I feel...

I'm poor.

Sometimes you feel empty.

But she's...the light of my life.

I just idolise her.

She's my rock. I just love her to death.

I just think she's a credit to us all.

And I hope she goes on for a few more years yet.

'Back in the close,

'we've attracted the attention of Joyce and her neighbours.

'She might be getting suspicious, so I hope I'm not rumbled. Here goes.'

We are going around the houses, knocking on people's doors,

asking if they have any unloved or unwanted items.

-You'll never guess what.

-What?

My daughter brought me God knows what yesterday

cos she read the paper and she brought God knows what.

I've got it in my bedroom.

So tell me a bit about yourself, Joyce. What do you do?

-How long have you been here?

-I'm 90 years old.

Wow, you don't look it!

Well, that's what they tell me. I'm glad you've told me that.

My life has consisted of others,

help others that can't help themselves.

And if there's anybody wants anything, they've only got to ask.

I can see loads of eggs in there. What's going on?

-That's shopping for other people.

-I go shopping for other people.

You go shopping for other people? People should go shopping for YOU!

-She shops for other people.

-No, I love doing it, don't I?

-Every morning she's out.

-At 8 o'clock.

-You've got to start slowing down!

-Why? Don't start telling me that!

-Do you think that's what keeps you going then?

-It is.

-Yeah.

-It is.

'Joyce has collected some things for us in her flat.'

-Lovely little home you've got, Joyce.

-Have a look.

-Oh, wow, look at this.

-Look.

-Look at it.

-It's a collection of thimbles.

-Thimbles.

-Yeah.

-That's a lampshade.

-Yeah, that's a duster.

-A duster. Handbag.

-That's never been used.

-There's a pair of shoes in there.

'I'll get Joyce's stuff down to the van, but outside,

'I bump into Joyce's daughter Sue,

'and I have to admit I'm getting a little bit nervous.'

-Quite a few people have twigged.

-Have they really?

-Yeah.

-A couple of her friends have twigged.

-Have they?

-Yeah.

-I didn't tell them, but the word's leaking out now.

-Right.

I sure hope not because we won't get her here if she knows about it.

-She'll scarper, won't she?

-She will scarper.

'And this secret is getting harder to keep

'when the lady in question tiptoes up behind you.'

-Can you accept this?

-Oh, no, not ME again!

-Is that for us as well?

-Yes.

Joyce, have you been having another clearout?

No, that's our lovely mirror.

-I forgot that.

-Creeping up on us.

That's a lovely mirror because it's got a nice bevel on it.

-That's right.

-I know it's a modern mirror,

but if you had to buy a modern mirror in a department store,

that would be about £50 with a bevel, so that's a tenner for us.

-This one?

-And that's nice as well, isn't it?

-There you are.

-Yeah.

-Joyce, thank you very much.

-OK, darling.

-Brilliant!

Everyone's been so helpful.

Can you believe that? When I was talking to Joyce's daughter,

I wanted to get more from her about Joyce, you know.

She was saying she's so proud of her.

I would be, if that was my mum. Gosh, I would be.

Brought us a choice of mirrors and these.

Here you are, John. PAUL LAUGHS

Well, no sooner is the van packed, it's now got to be unpacked

to see what Irina and I have collected on our rummage.

Our lines are almost the same length but who will have more items

that we can send over to the saleroom to make more money?

-I like those saw horses.

-I know, they're lovely.

-Little stools to sit on in the kitchen.

-Yes!

Did you find anything to go off to auction, cos I found nothing?

I did, actually. Some of these, some of this gorgeous silver jewellery.

-Look at that.

-That's nice.

-Stunning.

-Look at the carving - texture and detail.

-We'll send that to auction.

'It's a mix of modern and old jewellery,

'but together, I can see them making over £100 easily.'

-And this Longines watch.

-Great, we'll send that off.

'On closer inspection, that's a very elegant lady's watch.

'We might get more than the £50 I first thought.

'Also heading to the saleroom is Douglas's 19th-century clock,

'with its French brass movement.

'It's a good model and could make between £60 and £90.'

-Oh!

-This. That's what I was pointing to.

-Oh, I like that.

-That's brand-new but they're a lot of money to buy.

-Yeah.

-Surely there's £10 to £15 there.

-I hope so.

-It's gorgeous royal blue, popular make.

-Yeah.

'That's heading for the pop-up auction,

'but I also have a piece of furniture

'I think Irina could work her upcycling magic on.'

-Yeah, I like it. Let's have a look.

-Can you do something with that?

-I think so. What colour?

-It's up to you, it's up to you.

Let's look inside.

-Yeah, some shelves...

-I'd put a hanging rail in there.

-Yeah, OK.

Maybe a shelf at the bottom for shoes.

Shall we make it unisex or shall we just go bold and just make it

-like bright pink or something?

-Go bold.

Well, looking at those lines, I think it's a draw, don't you?

-I reckon.

-Yeah? High five, come on.

-Yeah!

-Well done, you, well done.

-You read my mind.

-I'm really, really pleased.

But our work isn't finished yet, and looking at this,

-I think we're sort of £200 to £300?

-Yeah.

But our job isn't done right now.

As I said, it's right down to that street auction

and it's about community spirit.

Will they deliver? We're going to find out.

Well, our D-day has arrived and, boy, do we have a lot to do?!

There's the van to empty, stalls to fill.

-Does that look nice?

-But there's more than bunting to hang.

Do you think we could go and buy some hangers?

I might have to go door-knocking

-to see if anybody's got any spare hangers.

-Needs must Irina.

Remember, this is all for Joyce.

Have you got any spare coat hangers, please?

Now, what's that saying? "Ask and they will come."

Look at these gorgeous hangers. This could be our little showstopper.

I absolutely loved meeting Joyce. She's such a special lady.

I've got to keep my voice down because she is around.

She definitely knows about the street party,

but she does not know it's all for her,

and when her sisters found out, they wanted to get involved,

so Joyce and her sisters are working on the raffle all day long.

In fact, we've got a whole army of helpers here,

so let's meet our stewards. Morning, everyone!

'We have the girls on tea and coffee.'

-Big responsibility, OK?

-Absolutely.

Everybody's going to be thirsty and hungry.

-You're going to be worked off your feet today.

-Yes.

But you'll make a lot of money.

'The bric-a-brac sellers.'

Mark everything up - £1 up to £5.

£2, £3, £4 - give a bit of change,

but at the end of the day, you're going to have a lot of paper money

and I'm going to check on you, OK?

'And Joyce will be joining sisters Shirley and Audrey

'on the tombola stall.'

Oh, you're not going to do a singsong, are you, Audrey, John?

-When we get Joyce with us.

-Are you?

-And my sister in the wheelchair.

-Yeah.

-She'll remember the words. We're going to do our sister song.

Go on, give us a little tiny example, a little rendition.

# Sisters, sisters

# They were... #

Uh-oh...

'I think they'll work better as a trio.

'The bric-a-brac stall is filling up nicely.

'I wonder if there's anything which could go to the pop-up auction

'to raise a bit more money.'

That's quite nice. Look at that.

There's a bit of studio pottery there. It's from Newlyn in Cornwall.

I like that. That's 20th-century modern. I guess that's 1980s, 1990s.

'Newlyn is a fishing town in Cornwall, but it became famous

'in the 1920s because of its flourishing arts scene.'

I'm going to sell that one on the rostrum. Might get £10 for that.

He's nice - or she. "My name is Primrose." She's lovely!

The condition's fantastic.

There's not a lot of age to it, but it's got the look,

it's got the look. It's beautifully weighted and it's articulated.

'Antique teddy bears made by the German company Steiff

'can sell for tens of thousands of pounds.

'This lovely lady isn't in that bracket

'but I think £10 would be on the money.'

I think I'm going to sell this one on the pop-up rostrum,

along with this bit of studio pottery.

'Hello, King Kong!'

Gosh, that's heavy!

'It's a clay model gorilla.

'It doesn't have any markings to who made it, but it's striking.'

I'm going to put him up for auction

because I think he just might get overlooked here.

Hopefully, on the rostrum, all being well, £10 plus.

I think we could triple our money.

I'm going to sell this one on the pop-up auction.

Something else which is rather striking

is the child's wardrobe Irina has upcycled.

Remember how it used to look.

Irina's transformed it with a few licks of colourful paint

and a decorating technique called decoupage,

where coloured paper was glued onto the wardrobe

and then sealed with varnish.

And now, here is our upcycling.

I'm ever so excited to be looking at this.

-You have done a fantastic job, my darling.

-Thank you.

-Look at this.

It's full of superheroes.

That will suit anybody's house - young, sort of middle-aged,

-someone funky, someone that remembers the past.

-Yeah, universal.

-Yeah.

-Love it. Thank you.

-Oh, it's brilliant.

It's absolutely brilliant.

'I have to be a superhero on the rostrum

'and get someone to part with £30.'

But if we're ever going to reach our £1,000 target,

we'd better get this show on the road.

I'm going to get this party officially opened with a five...

-ALL:

-Four, three, two, one.

Yay! Whoo!

'The good people of Thatcham haven't let us down.

'They've come to buy and to party.'

No, we need a bubble machine.

'My dance card has been well and truly marked.'

Thank you so much.

My feet might be dancing, but so are my nerves.

There's no sign of Joyce yet.

I hope she hasn't twigged and done a runner.

Right now, Irina's helping Joyce's sisters drum up business.

Come and buy your raffle tickets!

£1 a strip!

A strip? Steady on, Irina!

'One lady who might like a flutter is Thatcham's mayor,

'but has she ever tried a human fruit machine?'

Oh, hard luck!

'Have we started an addiction?'

Oh, one of each!

'We're halfway through the fundraiser

'but I still haven't spotted Joyce yet.

'While we're on tenterhooks, we could find out

'how much money we raised with the items we sent over to the sale.'

The auctioneer is Marc Burridge.

-Closest to me at £60 then...

-GAVEL BANGS

And Joyce's daughter Sue and her husband, Vic, went along

to see how they fared under the hammer.

First up, it's Douglas's broken 19th-century French clock,

which I can see making over £100.

And I have interest on the book.

50. 5. 60. 5.

70. 5. 80. 5.

£90 here. And 5 in the room.

100. Take 10, sir? 110 in the room. And 20, will you?

-All done at £110 then.

-GAVEL BANGS

Well, that struck it rich in the saleroom.

Perhaps Rosemary's broken watch

and her collection of silver jewellery will do the same.

The estimate is between £30 and £40, but I think they could do better.

30 I have. And 5. 35.

And 40. And 5.

5, thank you. 50. And 60. And 70.

And 80. And 90. At £90 then.

-We're selling on £90. Well done.

-GAVEL BANGS

That was brilliant! But we've had some exciting news.

The stones on Rosemary's stylish drop earrings have been identified

as rubies, diamonds and emeralds.

We contacted Rosemary with the news

and she's still happy to donate them.

I think we could get over £150.

Diamonds, emeralds and rubies.

On the book here at £100 to start. Thank you, 110.

110, thank you. 20.

130. 140. 150. 150. 160.

170. 180. 190.

-And I'm selling on £180 then.

-GAVEL BANGS

Wow, those earrings definitely sparkled in the saleroom.

We've just made £380.

Those items we sent off to auction did exceptionally well.

We were feeling so confident, at that stage,

we decided to get Joyce another gift and here it is,

tucked away, out of sight,

ready to present it to her later on, at the very end, after the auction.

It's a lovely bench.

She can sit on this with her friends

and have a cup of tea in the sunshine

somewhere dotted around here.

We've taken a chance buying that bench

because we still have to raise enough money

to give Joyce and perhaps some of her family a great day out.

But right now, the party girl herself has finally arrived.

-I remember talking to you, don't I?

-That's my sister.

-Is it?

-What's your name again?

-Joyce.

-I know it, I'm just kidding you!

THEY LAUGH

-Hey, you gave us lots of things, didn't you?

-Yes, three things.

How have you been anyway?

Well, up and down like a yo-yo, but I still keep going.

-LAUGHTER

-I still keep going, see?

I still keep going.

Well, while the final monies are being counted from the stall,

we can get a chorus from the Golden Girls.

-#..Me and my man.

-#

-That's him over there.

-Wow, brilliant! Brilliant!

-Absolutely brilliant! You should all be on stage.

-They won't have us.

-You've got the words.

-They won't have us.

We're not the Beverleys but we're the next best.

You're all fabulous, you're absolutely brilliant.

Big round of applause, everyone. APPLAUSE

Yay! Well done.

Between them, these sisters have a combined age of over 250 years,

but how do OUR figures tally?

The countdown from today's sales on the bric-a-brac stall.

What is it, Irina?

Well, for the day's sale, Paul, we've made £556.50.

-That's pretty good, isn't it?

-It is, isn't it?

-Plus £380 from the auction.

-Mm-hmm.

By my reckoning, I've got to make about £80, £70 to £80.

-You can do that hands down.

-I've got to do £100.

I'm going to get on the rostrum now.

-Come and join me.

-Yes, let's do this.

'Friends and neighbours have already dug deep in their pockets

'but can we get over our target?

'First up, it's that adorable teddy bear I spotted earlier.

'I'd like to see it get £10 at least.'

Lot number 1. Who's going to buy this teddy bear for £5?

Yes, lots of yeses, thank you. 5, I'm in at 5.

£8, thank you. The bid's now against you. I'll take 10. £10. £12.

Thank you very, very much.

Thank you, £15. It's against you now.

16, thank you. 17. You're out.

£17. And I'm selling at £17.

It's going once, twice, sold. GAVEL BANGS

APPLAUSE 'That's a good start.

'It would have never have made that on the bric-a-brac stall.

'I'd like the Newlyn-style coffee mug to get a tenner too.'

It really is quite special.

Thank you. £3. I'm looking for 5 anywhere.

No? I've got a bid of 3 and I'm taking 3. It's going once.

Fair warning. Sold, thank you. £3. GAVEL BANGS

APPLAUSE

'Every little helps, but I'm betting on King Kong getting at least £15.'

5. 10, thank you. £10.

£10. 12 anywhere? I'll take 12. 12. It's against you now.

Oh, two hands. I'll take 12 and 13, yeah?

£13. 14.

£14 now. 15. 16.

17. £20! Thank you, £20. LAUGHTER

£25 now. 25.

You're out. £25.

I have a bid of £25 and I'm selling.

GAVEL BANGS Sold. Thank you. £25.

APPLAUSE Thank you, madam.

'I never saw it reaching that price. Are we back on track, I wonder?

'Up next is the upcycled children's wardrobe.

'It was bland and a little bit boring

'but I think Irina's superhero decoupage

'could recoup a £20 profit.'

I absolutely love it!

£25, thank you, sir. Straight in.

One bid at 25. £30, thank you.

It's against you, sir. £35, thank you, sir.

I've got a bid of £35 with me and I'm selling at £35.

It's going once, twice. Sold. GAVEL BANGS

'Just a few hours' work with some old comics and a paintbrush

'have reaped a financial reward.

'The casserole dish also cooked itself a great deal.'

21, he's out. £21. It's going once, twice...

Sold, thank you. GAVEL BANGS

'As did a last-minute flower stand donation.'

Chap standing underneath the tree, and I'm selling at £25.

Fair warning, it's going once, twice... Sold.

'But what about the limited edition Thatcham print?

'Will local interest win the £20 I think it's worth?'

Our last lot of the day. £10, surely. Thank you.

Straight in at 10. 15. 20.

£35. Can I make that 40?

40? That bid might just get it.

£36. £1 more.

40. £40. 41 if it helps. 41? Thank you for your bid, sir.

£40. And I'm selling at £40.

Fair warning. It's going once, twice...

Sold, thank you, £40. GAVEL BANGS

APPLAUSE Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

Today, we were hoping to raise £1,000

for a very, very special person

who lives here in your community.

Today, on the pop-up rostrum, we have managed...

..£298, which gives us a grand total

of £1,239! So, thank you so much! CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

We have done our target and we've beaten it!

It's all about the community, bringing people together.

Now, it is for one very, very special person,

and I've come to understand what this person does.

She works tirelessly and selflessly for other people day in and day out.

And on a personal level, it's been a real privilege to get to know her

and I can't believe we've managed to keep this a secret for so long.

But, I tell you what, I don't think she's twigged it yet.

I can let you into who this is for.

Joyce Lovelock! CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Joyce Lovelock.

91-year-old Joyce Lovelock.

This is all for you, my darling.

-This is all for you.

-Thank you so much.

This is all for you.

Thank you so much for helping everybody day in and day out.

-Oh, I love them all, I love them all.

-Oh, I know you do.

-I love them all.

-It's all your family, isn't it?

-It really is.

-They are.

'Time to show Joyce the first part of the surprise.'

A big round of applause for this bench. Look at that!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-How about that?

-Thank you so, so much, everybody.

'And now for the second part of her surprise.'

We've arranged for you a special trip.

A VIP guest to Forces Day

at the British Legion National Memorial Arboretum.

-Oh...

-APPLAUSE

Thank you all, everybody, for all you've done for me.

I much appreciate it but I've got a job to accept it.

LAUGHTER

It is all about you, Joyce. You are my hero, you really are.

-Thank you.

-Bless you, bless you.

'The bench has its first guest of honour,

'but what does she think of it?'

Wonderful! We've got one over there but it can go now!

THEY LAUGH

-Isn't it gorgeous?

-What will you all do if anything happens to me?

-You'll have to take it.

-No, we won't.

We'll have to come and sit on it and think of you

and think of this day, won't we?

What a fantastic person.

As you can see, the whole community made this possible.

Everybody got together.

We beat our target, we surprised Joyce,

and I tell you what - that lady is a superstar.

She's 91 years old and she's a great example to all of us.

Never give up, keep on helping people.

And that's really what this show is all about. I hope you've enjoyed it.

Join us again soon because we could be in YOUR street

and this auction could be about YOU.

Along with her family, Joyce had a wonderful day

at the National Memorial Arboretum, proudly wearing her father's medals.

She paid her respects to those who'd given their lives in service.