Tom Wenham (right) and his Gran, Audrey Brown (far left), who won a silver-medal at the 1936 Olympics.

Former England and current Great Britain Men’s Head Coach, Tom Wenham, appeared on BBC One’s The Repair Shop last week, telling the story of his Olympic silver-medal winning Gran, Audrey Brown.

Tom took his Gran’s running spikes that she wore at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, to the experts to restore; she helped Team GB to a silver-medal in the 4 x 100m relay, beating red hot favourites Germany in their own back yard!

Upon entering the repair shop, Tom remarked that it was his Gran’s love of running that ultimately started his passion for all things sport.

“Sport’s been an enormous part of my life, all driven by my gran. Her running shoes represent her igniting that fire.”

Audrey was the third leg in the 4 x 100m relay and, with Adolf Hitler watching, helped the team to finish second and win the silver-medal. It was in this race that the German team famously dropped the baton and by all accounts, including Audrey’s herself, Mr Hitler wasn’t best pleased!

Telling the story of how he acquired his Gran’s spikes, Tom said:

“My gran gave me those shoes wrapped in a tea towel in a carrier bag. She gave them to me with no fanfare.

“I’ve also got her Olympic tracksuit top and medal certificate and the suitcase she took to Berlin, covered in all the official stickers.”

Tom comes from a family of very talented athletes, having played and coached the England men’s lacrosse team himself; Audrey’s brother and Tom’s Great-Uncle Godfrey also won a gold and a silver medal at the Games and they are possibly the only British siblings to win Olympic medals on the same day!

The spikes were restored by experienced cobbler, Dean Westmoreland, who removed the old, tired sole, washed the spikes, and polished the leather before putting all the pieces back together so they looked as good as new.

You can watch Tom with his Gran’s spikes on The Repair Shop via BBC iPlayer HERE.