A volunteer at Emmaus Village Carlton has been keeping time for the charity thanks to fixing hundreds of clocks and watches that have been donated to help homeless people get back on their feet.
Bob MacDonald, or ‘Bob the Clock’ to many, has been volunteering for the charity since May last year.
Originally a mechanic, Bob, 62, says he’s always had an interest in horology, the study of timepieces, clocks and the measurement of time.
“It came about because nobody was willing to repair a really nice one I had once, and I thought, it can’t be that hard,” said Bob.
So, he dived in and taught himself what he needed to know to get things ticking over.
“You just get a feel for it, you read books and you read things online and you get to know how to do it.
“I’ve got two grandfather clocks sitting in front of me and they’re in loads of pieces; to anyone else that would be really daunting but to me. I’m just thinking, well that goes in first and that goes in next…that does that, and there you go, it’s soon working again.
“With grandfather clocks, there are so many things that can go wrong, it’s a challenge that’s for sure. The amazing thing is, out of all the ones that we’ve sold, and we’ve sold hundreds of clocks since May, we’ve had very little in the way of ones that have come back.
“If I come across one that has a destroyed mechanism, you can’t just go out and get another mechanism.
“If it’s a lovely case, I’ll take it out and fit in an AA battery movement and it still lives, it just doesn’t ‘boing’ anymore. It looks lovely and it tells the time, so it fulfils two purposes.”
Bob lives nearby in Carlton with his wife Irene and their two cats, Bertie Wooster and Bingo Little (named after the Jeeves and Wooster characters).
He has been supporting Emmaus Village Carlton for several years.
Bob buys stock at full price to repair and re-sell at his own vintage shop called The Katz Whiskers.
“We’ve been running the shop since 1983 and have three of the biggest units in the Vintage Retreat,” adds Bob.
“For the past six or seven years we’ve been buying loads of stuff from Emmaus at full price and then selling it on after I’ve done it up, so I’ve always been supporting the charity but then I decided I needed to do a bit more.
“When I initially volunteered for Emmaus Village Carlton I said I could do a range of things such as driving the vans or working in the bistro; I’ve got all sorts of strings to my bow.
“They said they needed someone who could repair to clocks, so I volunteered to do that.”
Bob really does have many strings to his bow, playing the double bass for his own 50s rockabilly band called The Flyin Leathernecks (named after the John Wayne film), which tours in the UK and has also toured in Europe.
He is also happy to fix any musical instruments donated to Emmaus, saying, “I play the double bass but unfortunately I’ve not had one of them come in yet. Trust me, the day one does, I’ll be all over it like a rash.”
An artist too in his spare time, customising old World War II jackets with paintings of anything from aircraft to cartoons, Bob really enjoys the charity’s community.
“They’re a great bunch at Emmaus Village Carlton, I get on really well with everyone, and I’ve got to know them all in such a short space of time.
“We’re planning to have some music sessions there soon as there’s a drum kit there and a couple of the lads can play the guitar and I play bass, so I can bring my bass along and we’ll make a riotous noise and try and get some music going.”
Emmaus Village Carlton supports people who have experienced homelessness to rebuild their lives, raising funds through its three shops and bistro.
Clocks and watches are a big part of their business, with many sold through their Home Store every year.
If you have a clock you would like to donate to Emmaus, our donation drop-off area is open from Wednesday to Saturday 10am – 2.30pm and Sunday 10am – 2.30pm.
You can also browse clocks and other items at the Emmaus Village Carlton Home Store on School Lane, Carlton from Wednesday to Saturday 10am – 4.30pm and on Sunday 10am – 4pm.
Find out more about Emmaus Village Carlton at their website.
