Jigsaws for relaxation? It all fits!
Adrian Lee, of Almondbury, recalled the occasion after we used more photographs from the Brian Lawton Collection in the Examiner.
He says: “From a young age I went to The Ritz on Saturday mornings with the hundreds and probably thousands of other Huddersfield ABC Minors. It was an institution. 6d downstairs or 9d upstairs, and 6d to get a Zoom lolly - all in that wonderful huge cinema, long gone.
“As a seven or so year old I was with our little group, earlier deposited by mums (dads were probably working when Saturday morning work was the norm), on the morning after Jess Conrad’s Huddersfield ABC gig.
“He had stayed over and was brought on stage to a huge Minors’ roar. It was a time when the ABC hosted big pop stars such as Jess and Cliff. I can remember the huge excitement when The Beatles were in town.”
Amateur photographer Brian would often go back stage with Huddersfield Hospital Radio broadcasting team Laurie Stead and Gorden Kaye.
Adrian adds: “I was next to see Jess Conrad at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel in 1999 when privileged to travel with the Choral Society who were guests of Gorden Kaye in his year as King Rat at the huge starstudded ‘do’ of the Grand Order of Water Rats. Laurie was also among the various Huddersfield guests there that evening.” ONE of the oddest presents I’ve seen advertised for Christmas are 82 Jigsaw Puzzles of UK Towns and Cities. They are available as either a 100 or a 1,000 piece puzzle.
I’ve been lost in Glasgow before but now I can fumble around for hours trying to navigate the pernicious one-way system in the comfort of my own home. Or I could attempt to sort out Birmingham, taking care to allow plenty of time for traffic jams on the M6.
Huddersfield is not included although
Adrian’s memories were coming back strong.
He adds: “The ABC Minors had their own song which was shown on the big screen with that bouncing prompt spot, belted out week after week to the tune of Liberty Bell.
“I remember one year, near Bonfire Night, one of our mums helped us make a fantastic Guy to enter in the ABC competition for Best Guy. We won!
“The prize was a huge £10 box of Standard Fireworks that had fireworks we had never seen before. We were used to the regular 2/6d boxes or, if we were lucky, the five bob boxes. Such excitement on November 5 back in the early 1960s.” you can have Wakefield, Leeds or York or take a trip to the seaside at Blackpool, Scarborough and Whitby.
The last time I saw a jigsaw as an interesting challenge I was about 11 years old. “Can you imagine,” I scoffed in the pub. “Doing a jigsaw?”
Wow. Was I shot down. I hadn’t realised the popularity of jigsaw puzzling.
“It’s a brilliant pastime,” said one chum. “Relaxing, challenging and therapeutic.”
Others agreed. It was like I had uncovered a secret society of puzzlers. And there probably is because the first jigsaw was made in London in 1760 and they have been popular ever since. They were used to teach geography, as well as entertainment. The Alzheimer’s Society of Canada says they can help keep the brain active and may reduce the risk of developing the disease.
And the largest commercial jigsaw in the world was produced in Germany in September and had 40,320 pieces. You’d need a very big dining room table for that one.
There is even the British Jigsaw Puzzle Library that has been “sending out puzzles since 1933.” And not just any old puzzles. This rather expensive library uses only hand-cut wooden puzzles with up to 2,000 pieces – and they all come without a picture. Oo-er mum. Where does this bit go?
At least it is a comforting thought that if the planet does come apart, with Donald Trump as leader of the Western world, jigsaw puzzlers will be well trained to put it back together again.