Mum: My freezer is 33 years old!
SUE’S BEJAM-BRANDED FREEZER HAS BEEN KEEPING IT COOL FOR 33 YEARS!
They cost a bomb now but I would have paid very little at the time. It was certainly under £200. Sue Downes
THESE days most electrical appliances have a limited life-span but one Coventry woman has a freezer that has been going strong for more than three decades.
Sue Downes from Coundon bought her upright freezer from Bejam in 1985 and in March this year it will be 33 years old.
“I bought it when I was pregnant with my eldest, “said Sue. “They cost a bomb now but I would have paid very little at the time. It was certainly under £200.”
Sue described the Bejam-branded appliance as “functional rather than attractive”.
But it has certainly proved a great buy.
“It just keeps on working – I would hate to have to replace it,” she said.
“I have never had any problems with it – the only issue is occasionally the door won’t shut but that just means it needs defrosting.”
Sue said she uses her Bejam freezer for all sorts of things, particularly for storing frozen meals made during batch cooking.
“I double-up when I’m cooking and put meals away and things like that,” she said. She said she also uses it to freeze overripe bananas which she can then use at a later date. However, there’s one thing Sue used to use her freezer for earlier in its life which she doesn’t need to do any more – storing milk. Harking back to a time when most shops would be closed over the Christmas period Sue said: “I remember when I used to have to put milk in the freezer because the shops weren’t open. “I don’t need to do that any more.” Bejam was once Britain’s bestknown frozen food retailer but also sold electrical appliances with the Bejam brand name, including freezers, refrigerators, microwave ovens and dishwashers. The company was founded in 1968 by John Apthorp and grew out of a family-owned potato merchant firm. The chain ceased to be in 1989 when it was bought-up by its rival Iceland. The name came from its four directors, all of whom were members of the Apthorp family – Brian, Eric, John and Millie. Do you have an aged domestic appliance that has been a loyal family member for much longer than might have been expected? If so email news@coventrytelegraph.net