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Jigsaw puzzle lovers raise £15,000 for charity

John Devinein Walsoken
News imageJohn Devine/BBC Lynn Pearl has short white hair, she is wearing a blue fleece with a purple shirt underneath and a silver chain with a pendant on it is around her neck, she is holding a couple of jigsaw puzzle boxes, behind her are people sitting chatting in a village hall. John Devine/BBC
Lynn Pearl said she and her husband Gideon came up with the idea of loaning puzzles during the Covid lockdown

A couple has raised more than £15,000 for local charities through their jigsaw puzzle lending library.

Lynn Pearl, from March, Cambridgeshire, created Pearl's Puzzle Library with her husband Gideon during the first Covid lockdown in 2020, when they loaned out their own collection of 80 puzzles.

The library has grown to almost 3,000 mostly donated jigsaws, which stretch from floor to ceiling in the couple's garage, and they lend each item for a £1 donation.

Lynn said the library's success was thanks to "people's generosity".

News imageJohn Devine/BBC Two people seen from the neck down are looking through a pile of jigsaw puzzles on a low stage in a village hall.John Devine/BBC
Lynn Pearl said she buys many of the library's puzzles from local charity shops and car boot sales

On a Tuesday every month, Lynn and Gideon drive from March to Walsoken Village Hall, near Wisbech, with their car packed with more than 150 jigsaw puzzles.

"We bring our jigsaws into the community and normally have people lining up to pick a puzzle," she said.

On an average day at the village hall she said the couple loan out about 40 or 50 jigsaws.

"People have got to know us and we have regular customers, some make unusual requests, one lady was desperate for a garden gnome puzzle and we got her it," she said.

The couple have donated nearly £3,000 to the charity Feed Fenland, based in Wisbech, and buy £500 of fresh meat every other month for the organisation to use.

They have previously donated £12,500 to the Ely and March food banks.

News imageJohn Devine/BBC Ruth Freeman has very curly blonde hair and dark framed glasses on, she has a light pink and blue tartan patterned shirt on, behind her is a stage with some jigsaw puzzle boxes on.John Devine/BBC
Ruth Freeman says she loves to do a jigsaw when her husband is watching something that does not interest her on TV, "which is fairly often"

Ruth Freeman, who lives in Walsoken, Norfolk, said nothing helps her escape the worries of the world more than getting engrossed in a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

"Walsoken hasn't even got a regular library, so having Pearls Puzzles visit us once a month is a big boost for everybody," she said.

Freeman said she normally selects five puzzles and completes them all in a month.

"I even have portfolio jigsaw boards that I can take on holiday and I really enjoy it," she added.

News imageJohn Devine/BBC Lucinda Stannard has sandy coloured spikey hair with dark framed glasses on, she has a grey fleece top on and is on a mobility scooter, behind her is astage with lots of jigsaw puzzle boxes on.John Devine/BBC
Lucinda Stannard is physically disabled and can only use her left arm, but says she always looks forward to "picking out an interesting puzzle"

Lucinda Stannard said she regularly comes to Walsoken village hall to not only pick up puzzles, but also donate ones that she has bought and completed herself.

"I tried a 3,000 piece jigsaw once and it was just too much, so I prefer 1,000-piece ones," she said.

Stannard said she started doing puzzles whilst recovering from a hospital stay, because "it gave me focus".

"My very favourite bit of the process though is taking it apart once it's completed," she added.

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