Festive figures: Christmas may be a mere memory by now, but for Mr Sid Cook and his wife Peggy, of Lowestoft, production of this year's selection of seasonal novelties, to sell for charity, is already in full swing. In 1986 the Cooks raised more than £650, to be shared between the RNLI and helping to buy guide dogs for the blind. A former glass beveller, Mr Cook retired in 1981, aged 60, from the off-licence trade.

He and his wife start work each January on creating little chaps like the one pictured here and find that they sell like hot cakes once the Christmas season arrives. photograph courtesy of The Lowestoft Journal.