TORQUAY'S Friends of Torre Abbey are inviting people to turn junk into treasure by donating items to help promote the Abbey’s history.

FOTA chairman Steve Poppleton said: “Torre Abbey Historic House is currently closed for restoration but our educational work still continues behind the scenes.

“Have you an old silver teaspoon in your cutlery drawer or items such as Great Uncle Edward’s spectacles or Aunt Aggie’s old leather suitcase that hasn’t been used for years? What may be junk to you could become a treasure!

“The Abbey’s collection is rich in 19th century paintings and sculptures, largely donated by local people including those who belong to the charity FOTA. However, there is currently no handling collection to reflect the different eras of the Abbey.

“A handling collection does exactly what it says on the tin! We want to create a series of portable story boxes to take into schools and community groups to stimulate lively, interactive discussion about the Abbey.”

Executive Lead for Tourism and Environment, Cllr Jeanette Richards, said: “We are appealing to the residents of Torbay to help us with this collection. When confronted with an historic object, children always ask if it is real - they get an incredible buzz from being allowed to touch old objects with a direct link to the past.

“At times we will have to use replicas for rare objects but we want to encourage that wonderful ‘wow’ response from the children. Touching the imprint of the potter’s thumb on a Victorian 150-year-old pot produces an excitement that a book cannot recreate.”

The aim is to have six themed boxes - Materials, The Victorians, Upstairs, Downstairs, The House and Monastic. These are examples of the sort of items FOTA is seeking but if you have any other exciting objects, Torre Abbey staff would love to see them.

Materials - pottery, tile or stained glass fragments, old leather i.e. a cases, glasses case, belts, shoes and old lace.

Victorian - stamp on a letter, coins, early spectacles, beaded purses, buttoned gloves or shoes, boot hooks and spurs. Dressing table items such as a ‘Carte de Visite’ (calling card), blue poison bottle, fob watch (broken or working), gold military epaulette and military medals.

The House - rosaries, riding boots, silver spoons, old garden hand-tools, wooden butter pat makers, copper jelly moulds, Mrs Beaton’s cookbook, owing boat rollocks, rowing boat rollocks, huge or decorative keys.

Monastic – Crusader tin badges, 12th century coins (silver mark), quills and inkpots, medieval knives, shards of medieval earthenware, cider flagons and abacuses.

Monastic Gardens – mortar and pestle and recipes for herbal remedies.

Agatha Christie’s Potent Plants – old medicine bottles in particular a blue poison bottle, old pill box and pharmacy weighing scales.

Following a £2.8m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Phase 2 of the Abbey’s restoration programme is underway which includes a state-of-the-art education suite for all levels and abilities.

Anyone who possesses items they would like to loan or donate can phone Dee Martin, Torre Abbey Education Officer on 01803 293593.