Rather than let these Prams be stored doing nothing we use them for a purpose now. To know that we are doing our bit to help our injured soldiers is satisfaction enough.

If anyone has a Vintage Pram/Pushchair or baby memorabilia that they would like to donate or want a small fee for please contact us. The more we have to display the better as a varied display helps raise funds for Help for Heroes. Obviously we have to be sensible and cannot afford to pay out too much, as this is a hobby and not work so we do not earn any monies from this.

Restoring prams:

I started to do the odd small repair job just to make them more cosmetically appealing. I then bought a 1940 old, battered Silvercross that was in need of a complete overhaul. This one I decided I would have a good go at. Here is what I had to do:

• I stripped it down to the bare basic shell. I had to use a mask as the older prams had lead paint coverings.

• I then painfully & slowly resprayed it Black, layer after layer.

• The chrome on most is often Shot.  This is expensive to correct, so I leave it as it is  (chrome paint looks cheap and nasty on).

• Often these prams have horse hair fillings which I take out as they are full of vintage dust, muck and germs. The mouldy smell is often caused by the horse hair filling getting damp.

• The hoods and aprons are nearly always frayed, ripped or broken.  These, too, are not easy to replace. I had a number of goes, but have yet to perfect this to the standard I would like.

• I had newer but vintage tyres put on and painted the wheel rims Black & Silver.

• Leather support straps were made by a local cobbler.

I would never part with this one as such a lot of dedication and hard work went into it.

Just the time spent basically cleaning up old prams is hard work, as there is often 50 to 60 years worth of grease, dirt and scratches on them. To restore a pram fully takes hundreds of pounds. As they were coach built made in factories, a lot of the work was professionally done. Restoration often looks easy, but on trying, proves very difficult. So I basically I clean and touch up the prams and pushchairs so they look cosmetically good for re-enactment purposes. I do get some prams and pushchairs that hardly need much doing to them at all.

Although not to today's British Safety Standards I would put a baby in these prams as I feel they are safe to use. I'm not a professional restorer.

• 1932 Millson Twin ( needs restoring but very rare due to 5th balancing wheel, only purchased by the very rich)

• 1939 Silvercross Black (restored)

• 1948 LBC Navy

• 1930 French Bucket Pram (restored)

• 1930 German Paper Mache and Cane Pram

• 1930 British Manton Pram Black (restored)

• 1930 German Pushchair cream

• 1957 Royale green & cream

• 1958 Royale navy & cream

• 1950 Osnath Black restored

Other items:

• Collection of Baby Items and home front items.

• 1940 Crib (on loan courtesy of Phil & Maureen May)

• Baby bottles, clothing, toys, photos, books, pram canopies, pram seat and much more.

I have some Reborn dolls at present which I use in my prams. I have just started to place the dolls so that they have a story to tell in the display. The newborn baby I have always fools people into believing its a real baby. This intrigues people how life like it is.

We have had our first Grandson Harry Oliver Roebuck who we took to the Jacksdale Event. He loved it in my Silvercross Pram and got lots of attention. ( although our son dislikes the Prams he would sooner Harry was not put in one) Harry always has a good sleep in my Prams so it goes to show they are more comfortable than the modern ones of today. My prams are priceless as they are vintage items.