Freeman appears in Channel 4 TV series

Furniture restorer and freeman Sam Ryan is currently appearing in Channel 4’s restoration series ‘Mend it for money’.

The new series, which pits Britain’s best restorers against each other to give objects a new lease of life, started on 1 February 2021 and runs Monday to Friday for four weeks.

Sam, 29, has been running his own furniture making and restoration business, based in Watford, Hertfordshire since 2013, after studying furniture making and furniture restoration at Buckinghamshire New University, High Wycombe.

“In my workshop I make bespoke furniture of my own designs. I also make bespoke furniture for private clients, as well as restoring and repairing modern and antique furniture for private clients,” said Sam.

Sam has been a freeman of ours since December 2019. Prior to this, he was selected as one of four young professionals to take part in the 2017 edition of our unique Young Professional Industry Experience, which sends bright sparks on an insightful tour of 20 different businesses working in the sector. He later exhibited at our 2017 Young Furniture Makers exhibition.

Sam attributes his hunger for success to the setbacks and struggles he’s dealt with throughout his childhood and young adult life, having battled leukaemia twice when he was three and six and then a brain tumour when he was 17.

Sam said: “At such a young age of being in and out of hospital, I missed crucial times in my life. Missing years of school and building friendships. As hard as life was to fight through my battles, I was determined not to let cancer defeat me.”

Thankfully fit and well today, Sam is thrilled to be part of the television series.

He said: “I was contacted by Channel 4 in the summer of 2020 to take part in the show. This is an amazing opportunity to be able to tell my life story and achievements. To hopefully inspire those who have had or are going through cancer treatment and difficult times, that life is worth fighting for and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

You can watch all episodes so far by going to: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/mend-it-for-money

For more information about Sam, go to https://www.samryanfurniture.co.uk

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