Bored retiree creates supersized household objects

A DIY-fanatic who became bored after retiring has come up with an unusual way of filling his days - creating supersized models of everyday household items.

In scenes reminiscent of '80s Hollywood blockbuster Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Steve Wainwright lives in his home among huge objects including a giant pencil, clothes peg, audio cassette and a 13-amp plug.

"Once retired you can only cook and clean for so many hours," said Wainwright, 62, who lives with his wife in Peterborough and has a background in engineering and electrics.

"Men generally say my stuff is amazing, but women normally ask, 'Where does your wife keep it all?'"

Wainwright said he retired from his most recent job at the East of England Ambulance Service in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, in 2020, and begrudgingly took on the role of house husband.

"I just got bored and wanted something to do," he said.

One day, while thinking of ideas, he came up with a scheme to build replicas of everyday items that were "10 times the size, because I'm not very good at maths", he said.

Some have since been worked into functional items, with his giant tape measure becoming a coffee table and a big plug turned into a cupboard.

A garden workshop that Wainwright built himself is the base for all the crafting.

His oversized objects, made from wood, metal and plastic, have cost him about £2,500 so far, and taken up to two weeks to make.

Some have been sold to local people through word of mouth, but he said he just wanted to keep making his creations for a hobby.

Wainwright's wife, Cat Thompson, 53, said she liked that her husband was "just doing something rather than moping around the house all day".

She said: "He puts his stuff mainly on the garage wall and we have a summer room where he keeps more of his stuff – but, it's manageable. It mostly keeps him out of mischief.

"When I saw the plug, it was just complete joy."

Wainwright has previously displayed his handiwork at events for charity, and discovered that blind people have loved to feel the large items next to the normal sized ones.

"The public's favourite item of the 20 or so things I have made has to be the five-foot long HB 2 pencil," he said.

People can see the supersized items, which will make them feel super small, at the Feel the Force Day comic book convention at Peterborough Cathedral, in September.

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