AN AWARD-WINNING TV presenter dropped into Oswestry on Tuesday (May 10) night to promote his new book and to speak about his life.

Jay Blades MBE, who many will know as the presenter of the shows, The Repair Shop, Money for Nothing, and Jay Blades Home Fix, gave a talk at the Lion Quays Hotel near Gledrid to talk about his new book, Making It, and about the difficulties he has faced in his life and his success on TV.

Jay grew up Hackney, East London in a single parent household with his mother.

He spoke fondly about growing up in an area where people looked out for each other.

Jay added: "Growing up in the East End made me. It was all about community, all about love.

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"Everyone was uncle, aunt and cousin because we acted as an extended family and looked out for each other.

"It was a beautiful community."

His school years had seen him experience racism and a lack of support from teachers.

He said: "There was racism and intolerance. There was a lack of support from teachers.

"The National Front headquarters was at Highbury New Park. There was constant fighting."

Jay went on to explain how a careers teacher told him he was "going to amount to nothing" in life but in fact this was invaluable to him.

He said: "Those people taught me a valuable lesson. The careers teacher did me a favour. It drove me to achieve something.

"You get there eventually."

Jay was later diagnosed with dyslexia, but went on to attend Buckinghamshire New University and came away with a 2:1 in criminology.

He began working in the charity sector and trained young people in furniture restoration, with his work grabbing the attention of The Guardian newspaper who gave him publicity.

Jay continued: "We came up with the idea about how to restore furniture.

"The Guardian put it up and it went viral.

"We wanted to shine a light on young people."

Jay suffered when funding for his charity dried up and his marriage collapsed.

But he said he managed to find success with the Repair Shop when producers approached him: "Producers contacted me to come and fill a new show.

"They spoke to me about the idea. A group of people with different means in the same building.

"Six years later we are still filming."

Last week, Jay received his MBE from Prince Charles for services to craft, which he was awarded in the Queen’s Birthday Honours last June.

The event at the Lion Quays was organised and hosted by Oswestry’s independent bookshop Booka, which is based in Church Street.