The Repair Shop's unique item tracks 60 years of friendship

What did you miss?

The Repair Shop featured a touching tale of friendship this week that tracked a 60-year bond across the globe.

Pete and Mac were best friends of more than 60 years, who brought in a unique memento of their bond - a birthday card in the shape of a sick bag that they had sent to each other with a new message every year since they were 16.

The 60-year-old birthday card was looking a little fragile, but was restored to its former glory as an ongoing record of their long-lasting friendship.

What, how, and why?

Best friends Pete and Mac brought The Repair Shop a challenge this week - a birthday card shaped like a sick bag from the 1960s that they had been sending back and forth for each others' birthdays for 60 years.

After meeting at a swimming club as children, the pair had stayed lifelong friends and when they were 16, Pete's mum had bought the unique card for him to give to Mac.

The card's printed message read: "Practical cards is what should be gave, useful and plain-like an' fittin’ to save – so here’s birthday greetin’s on this paper sack, when mine’s due you fill it and send it on back!"

Pete and Mac had been filling it in and sending it back for 60 years, with 120 messages written on the now-fragile card.

It had also made its way across the world twice a year since Pete moved to Australia 28 years ago, and had helped him to salvage some of his memories after a serious accident in 2002 when he was hit by a car while cycling.

Mac said: "Basically it's friendship. It reminds us how long we've been really good mates."

He added: "It's one of the few constant things in life, so many things have changed in the last 60 years and that has stayed the same."

Looking thrilled with the repaired card, which was strengthened with Japanese mulberry bush paper and had a special protective envelope made for it, Pete said: "It's just amazing that we've stayed such good mates all that time." Mac added: "There's still a lot of spaces left to fill."

What else has been happening on The Repair Shop?

Last week, Repair Shop fans were in tears as they watched guest Halina Eves recount how her mother was given a ring during the Second World War as a thank you for sneaking food into the ghetto for other people.

Eves said: "My mother was 13 and came home from school and her street was bombed. She saw her mum on the floor dead. She was terrified. Her father had gone off to war and she never knew what happened to him."

With no close relatives, the young girl fled to the church and was sent to a convent right behind the ghetto. The church also hid the Jewish resistance, who encouraged the orphans to take food into the ghetto, which is what she did. One day a woman there gave her the ring as a thank you for sneaking in bits and pieces of food.

Viewers commented on how moving the story was, admitting it had brought them to tears.

The Repair Shop airs on BBC One at 8pm on Wednesday.

Read more: The Repair Shop

• This week's The Repair Shop had us weeping at this heartfelt story (Good Housekeeping, 3 min read)

• The Repair Shop: Meet the talented cast of the series (Prima, 6 min read)

• The Repair Shop expert pays tribute to co-star after departure 'Love you brother' (Manchester Evening News, 2 min read)