Catherine MacArthur with her London Jigsaw

Tottenham woman realises dream with launch of jigsaw iPad app

by Flora Drury Tuesday, May 29, 2012
1:06 PM

A retired teacher who always dreamed of creating her own jigsaw has given puzzles a 21st century spin from the comfort of her Tottenham living room.

However, Catherine MacArthur’s London Jigsaw, which challenges people to put the capital’s boroughs in the correct place, does not fit in a traditional box.

It is only available in the virtual world, to download as an app for people to play with on their iPads or iPhones.

Ms MacArthur, of Broadwater Road, said: “When I was a kid I played with Victory puzzles of the British Isles. I learned my British counties that way. I always wanted to recreate those.”

Ms MacArthur, 58, who worked in a number of schools around Haringey, put the idea to the back of her mind until she took early retirement two years ago.

She then set about making her dream a reality. She said: “As soon as the iPad come out, I thought, ‘That is the way I am going to make my jigsaw’.”

The finished product is available on the iPad with maps including London’s boroughs, parks, attractions, rivers and the Olympic Park, all for £1.99, while a free version with boroughs only is available on the iPhone.

Both are being downloaded several times a day, which she feels is pretty good for a novice designer.

Crediting its success with her background as a teacher, Ms MacArthur said: “I understand how people think and learn. I just think that learning through doing something enjoyable is the best way of doing it.”

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