Strictly star inspires jigsaw lovers to do British Jigsaw Championships

Fiona Dickinson and her daughter Holly, 12, made the trip from Nottingham after hearing Strictly star Joanne Clifton mention the event on TV

A Strictly Come Dancing star helped inspire people to travel far and wide to see if they could be the fastest at completing a 1000-piece jigsaw.

The British Jigsaw Championships were held in Newmarket, Suffolk, on Sunday.

Sarah Mills, from Norwich, retained her title for the ninth year in a row, completing the puzzle in one hour and 52 minutes.

Fiona Dickinson and her daughter Holly, 12, made the trip after hearing Joanne Clifton mention the event on TV.

Organisers said almost 200 people took part in this year's event, up from 70 last year

The former Strictly winner came fifth in the competition last year, and told of her success while taking part in BBC One's The Weakest Link.

Ms Dickinson, who started doing jigsaws with her daughter Holly during lockdown, said Ms Clifton's mention of the competition had prompted them to enter.

"I was like 'oh my gosh, there's a competition Holly'," she said. "I went online immediately, saw the opening date, marked it on the calendar and got up super early to get a place.

The mother-and-daughter team, which had travelled down from Nottingham, said it was "great" to take part.

Joanne Clifton, who won Strictly Come Dancing with celebrity Ore Oduba in 2016, came fifth in the jigsaw competition last year

Sisters Kate Armstrong, Charlie Armstrong and Alex Lloyd, from Durham, said they were also inspired by the professional dancer.

Charlie said: "My sister Kate loves jigsaws so when we heard it, we were like 'let's go'. We booked tickets, we made plans and here we are."

Sisters, from left to right, Alex Lloyd, Charlie Armstrong and Kate Armstrong, travelled from Durham to take part

The annual competition, held for the 10th time this year, raises funds for St Mary's Church and is part of a six-day jigsaw festival.

Competitors were asked to complete a jigsaw of Dublin's Ha'penny Bridge.

Ms Mills said she was "thrilled" to retain her title for the ninth time.

Dan Martin and his partner Sarah Jane Bodell won the pairs competition, in a time of one hour and 39 minutes.

Sarah Mills, from Norwich, retained her title as the British champion for the ninth year in a row, completing the puzzle in one hour and 52 minutes

Almost 200 people took part in the competition, up from 70 last year, organiser Janet Ramsay-Helie said.

"It's amazing how it's snowballed, it really is, and I just hope we can continue it and to keep it going, but we need to get more volunteers," she said.