Subscribe to BIG during February and receive 2 x BONUS issues
January 31, 2012 by Webmaster
Filed under Magazine News
UK Subscribers – click here | European Subscribers – Click here | All other subscribers – please click here

Colossus 240 – Hello
December 21, 2011 by Webmaster
Filed under Christine's Desk, Christine's Hello

One of the ways Christmas has changed over the years is the time spent together as a family making preparations. I’m sure many of you remember helping your mother to make the Christmas cakes, pudding and mince pies, or helping your father to bring in the Christmas tree and put up the lights. It seemed to be a warmer and more festive holiday. With all the hustle and bustle of the modernday Christmas, some of the special spirit of the season has disappeared.
Nowadays, many households don’t have the time or energy to cook those old-fashioned dishes. We can buy any Christmas goodies in the supermarket all ready to eat. The tree is often an artificial one, to make life easier. Yet it’s not easier, because we spend so much time shopping, for various treats and for presents.
It’s a sign of the times, it’s happening everywhere and it’s no good moaning about the good old days, I know. But wouldn’t it be fun to have an old-time Christmas once again? One tradition I remember is everyone in the family taking a turn stirring the mixture, for the cake.
Another one was decorating the tree together and on Christmas Day, playing board games, or doing the holiday crossword in the paper, everyone calling out clues.
We also went to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, something we haven’t done for many years now. It was exciting as a child to be allowed to stay up so late. But if my parents were hoping it would make us sleep in the next morning, they were sorely disappointed.
Of course life wasn’t perfect in those days, especially when one of the tree lights didn’t work and tempers got a little frayed, or when Uncle Bob had too much to drink and knocked over the Scrabble board. Or the Christmas tree.
However you spend your Christmas, I wish you all a well-deserved break, and hope you find some of the magic of the season still exists in your household.
From everyone here at Lovatts, we wish you a…
Happy Christmas!
Colossus Winners (Issue 239)
November 28, 2011 by Webmaster
Filed under Colossus Winners, Latest Prize Winners, Magazine Updates
5 x £50 Prize Cheques
L Barker, Ripon; G Burch, Beckenham; M Cannon, Selly Oak; Joyce Dodd, Barnton; Joyce Regan, Wykencroft.
GIANT CRYPTIC No 239
1 x Nescafe Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine
E Chapman, Buxton.
4 x I Love Coffee Prize Packs
Dave Carter, Newark; Peggy Cox, March; Elizabeth Fenwick, Winston; P Norris, Formby; A Sturgess, Finedon.
CASHWORDS No 239
1 x £300
Nichola Corbett, Barnsley.
5 x £40
Sue & Ken Candler, Southport; Sheila Ely, Colchester; S Forde, Craigavon; S Jones, Northwich; Cindy Rabet, Jersey.
STINKER No 239
1 x BUSH 5.1 600W DVD Home Cinema Kit
Mike Cleary, Aylesbury.
5 x Lovatts Stationery Set Prize Pack
A Burt, Poole; Ann Forde, Spain; Kevin McDonagh, Newton Heath; Sharon Rowe, Sheerness; N Veasey, Nailsea.
THE KNOWLEDGE No 239
2 x Collins Concise English Dictionaries
Judy Murrells, Ipswich; Elaine Rhodes, Northampton.
MEGA Winners (Issue 15)
November 15, 2011 by Webmaster
Filed under Latest Prize Winners, MEGA Winners, Magazine Updates
1 x £200
J Parish, Northampton.
3 x Lovatts Out & About Prize Packs Inc – Shopping Bag, Trolley Token, Handbag Hanger & Notepad
Penny Carnell, Radcliffe-on-Trent; P Middup, Eastbourne; Penny Paterson, Northwood Hills.
Mega Mix
1 x £100
Tommy Wilson, Kilsyth.
3 x Lovatts Gadget Prize Packs Inc – Flashlight Keyring, Magnifier & 8-In-1 Map Measurer
Mary Greenfield, Bourne End; S Jones, Bridgend; Emma Leadbitter, Goole.
Mega Stinker
1 x 19 Inch HD Ready Digital LCD TV & DVD Combi
Kathleen Boyles, Lytham-St.Annes.
2 x HoMedics Soundspa Classic Clock Radio
Pauline Carpenter, Eastbourne; Jan Johnston, Fawdon.
3 x Collins Gem Prize Packs Inc – Pocket World Atlas & 2 x Gem Books
Carol Harrop, Sudbury; Jackie Lee, Perton; Mary Richards, Ryde.
Cryptic Crossword Winners (Issue 10)
November 15, 2011 by Webmaster
Filed under Cryptic Crosswords Winners, Latest Prize Winners, Magazine Updates
1 x BT Stratus 1500 Telephone with Answer Machine
Carole Rigden, Ramsgate.
5 x Lovatts ‘I Love Coffee Prize Packs’ Inc – Coffee Mug, Coffee & Biscuits
Carol Barnard, Kibworth; Vicky Delaney, Newhaven; J Highgate, Holmbury St Mary; S Mugridge, Blunham; C Rodley, Todwick.
Cryptic Contest
1 x £200
Janet Craig, Swaffham.
5 x Lovatts Stationery Sets Inc – Magnetic Paperweight, Notepad & Highlighter Pen Sets
B Clancy, Dublin; W Duthie, Inverallochy; John Macgregor, Heathhall; Ruth Parkinson, Hastings; Mary Scott, Aberdeen.
Colossus Winners – Issue 238
November 6, 2011 by Webmaster
Filed under Colossus Winners, Latest Prize Winners, Magazine Updates
5 x £50 Prize Cheques
D Anderson, Belvedere; Louise Bierley, Boston; G Ellinsworth, Fleetwood; Jackie Lee, Perton; Carol Mullett, Spain.
GIANT CRYPTIC No 238
1 x Nescafe Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine
Ivan Smith, Flitwick.
4 x I Love Coffee Prize Packs
T Alexander, Hoddesdon; Dave Claxton, Newbury; Joan Loveday, Swindon; Victoria Nethercott, Greece; G Williams, Coleford.
CASHWORDS No 238
1 X £300
S Mills, Kingswood.
5 x £40
Rosemary Green, Grantham; C Hollings, Hebden Bridge; J Kerins, Chorley; Tracy Knight, London; Brenda Smedley, Woodthorpe.
STINKER No 238
1 x BUSH 5.1 600W DVD Home Cinema Kit
Chris Womack, Kent.
5 x Lovatts Stationery Set Prize Pack
Helen Dolman, Hednesford; M Frost, Goole; Ian Glenn, Felixstowe; M Taylor, Horsham; A Westwood, Atherton.
THE KNOWLEDGE No 238
2 x Collins Concise English Dictionaries
G Harmer, Crawley; Gregory Porilo, London.
Lucky Subscriber Draw Winners – September/October 2011
November 2, 2011 by Webmaster
Filed under Latest Prize Winners, Subscription Draw Winners
Mrs Anne Armstrong, Holmrook, Cumbria
Mr D Booth, Gillingham, Kent
Mrs L Crocker, Romsey, Hampshire
Mr T Osborne, Norwich
Ms J Sillitoe, Crawley, West Sussex
Each will have his or her subscription outlay returned.
Puzzle Collection 77 Gremlin
October 30, 2011 by Webmaster
Filed under Gremlins, Magazine Updates, Puzzle Collection Gremlins
Page Reference/Puzzle Title/Clue No:
Pg 84, Colossus #3, 174ac
Error:
Clue should have been ‘Rock worker’ for the answer STONEMASON.
Reported by:
Shirley Roy, Down
![]()
Page Reference/Puzzle Title:
Pg 97, World Of Fashion FindaWord
Error:
The word INNOVATION should have read ANNOUNCERS in the list of words.
Reported by:
Anne Earls, Buckinghamshire
Colossus 239 Gremlin
October 25, 2011 by Webmaster
Filed under Colossus Crosswords Gremlins, Magazine Updates
Page Number and Puzzle Title:
p21, Baffler
Error:
The clue, ‘Peter Schaffer play’, should read ‘Peter Shaffer play’.
Reported by:
Thanks to Coralie Stokes, Kent, for pointing out this mistake.
BIG Winners (Issue 227)
October 18, 2011 by Webmaster
Filed under BIG Winners, Latest Prize Winners, Magazine Updates
£300 Winner
Brenda Abbott, Huddersfield.
5 x £40 Winners
R Clark, Hemel Hempstead; Pamela Crosbie, Blackpool; M Foote, Andover; Astrid Hurst, St Ives; J Peary, London.
Goliathon
1 x 8 Piece Copper Base Cookware Set
G Millington, Oldbury.
4 x Dinner Candle Gift Sets
Joe Featherstone, Grimsby; M Langdon, Exeter; J Lee, Brandon; E Miller, Peterlee.
DEMON
1 x Philips DVD Home Theatre System
C Bridge, Herne Bay.
4 x Riverford Farm Cook Books
Susan Fielding, Blackpool; J Millmore, Southampton; George Moy, Chichester; Joyce Woolley, Northwich.
BONANZA
Big Easy – P4
Solution: A Red Rag To A Bull
3 x Collins Gem Prize Packs
Eileen Slinger, New Malden; Mary Tenwick, Herne Bay; J Thomas, Redditch.
Ninesies – P8
Solution: Barters
3 x Lovatts Stationery Sets
Barbara Clarke, St Neots; Anita Davis, Durrington; K Sherman, Southport.
Wheel Words – P10
Solution: Delighted
3 x Collins Gem Scrabble Dictionaries & Flashlight Keyrings
John Hurley, Dagenham; Brenda Kynoch, Thurso; A Lewis, Sunderland.
Elevenses – P14
Solution: Quest
3 x I Love Coffee Prize Packs
Florence Hutton, Londonderry; C Kelly, Bexhill-on-Sea; A Mawdsley, Kenilworth.
Compiler’s Choice – P23
Solution: Alec Guinness
2 x ‘Go Explore’ Extra Large Wheeled Holdalls
T Allen, Beeston; E Rutherford, Fawdon.
Acrostic – P28
Solution: Cave Of Altamira Spain
3 x Lovatts Thermo Mugs
F Collier, Falmouth; Raymond Jones, Bargoed; M Willis, Bierton.
Do Your Block – P38
Solution: Maintained
3 x T&G Mini Salt & Pepper Gift Sets
Pamela Baxter, North Walsham; Richard Hayes, Matlock; B Revitt, Llandeilo.
Fill-In – P38
Solution: Colours
3 x Lap Trays with Light & Cushion
I Andrew, Preston; M Kelly, Glasgow; Jackie Measures, Bradford.
Wiz Words – P39
Solution: Valuation
3 x Lovatts Gadget Prize Packs
Barbara Fletcher, Wakefield; Elizabeth Harris, London; J Jackson, Billericay.
Starhunt 5 – P40
Solution: Marisa Tome
3 x Lovatts Tea Party Prize Packs
D Barrett, Norwich; M Dumbleton, Grimsby; M Milton, Ilford.
Starhunt 6 – P40
Solution: Robert Duvall
3 x Lovatts Rainy Day Prize Packs
Angela Allen, Jersey; Cheryl Boyle, Folkestone; Andy Dunn, Stoke-On-Trent.
Starhunt 7 – P41
Solution: Norah Jones
3 x Herb Garden Seed Kit Gift Box Sets
E Allen, Manchester; M Anderson, Huntly; G Ehlert, Hull.
Starhunt 8 – P41
Solution: Leonard Nimoy
3 x Michael Buble CDs
James Brown, North Shields; S Hammerton, Mansfield; R Warwick, Ballymena.
Big Tougher – P44
Solution: Foreign Correspondent
3 x Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Lists
Tony Fragel, Axminster; E Reade, Cardiff Bay; J Taylor, London.
FindaWord – P75
Solution: Yellow Brick Road
3 x Franklin Pocket Spellers
M Nickerson, Wellington; R Oldfield, South Africa; J Woodward, Watford.
Mumbo Jumbo – P75
Solution: Penthouse
3 x Books – The Abel & Cole Cookbook
Mary Faux, Chatteris; G Smith, Maidenhead; A Whittaker, Kingswood.


Shop