An inventor has said how humbling his award-winning board game’s sales have been, despite lockdown rules keeping shops closed.

Ian Jenkins and his wife, Penny, had initially kept Colour Block in their loft for 15 years following a series of rejections from board game companies.

The Brantham-based inventor - who works as a physiotherapist - revealed how the idea for the mind-boggling game surfaced years ago, but, at the time, various producers turned down his proposal amid concerns it didn’t fit with their portfolio of games.

However, Mr Jenkins’ luck changed at the end of 2019.

He said: “Just before Christmas in 2019, we saw a catalogue for a business called ‘The Happy Puzzle Company’ and so we took a chance and wrote to the owner, Gavin Ucko.

“We asked whether we could have an opportunity to show him the game, never thinking we would get that chance, but he was very interested in the concept and once we had shown him the prototype he agreed it was a game they wanted to develop.

“Over the lockdown period we worked very closely with Gavin and his team via social media in developing the game, and from the original concept it has evolved to where it is in its current format.

“We are all very excited about the game and although the current worldwide restrictions have meant a different type of launch, we will in effect have two launches.

“The first launch will be via a number of virtual world toy fairs, television advertising and on Amazon.

“A second launch in 2021/22 will happen at the three major World Toy trade fairs - London, Nuremberg and New York.

“We are amazed that someone like Gavin who has been in the games business for over 30 years and has seen many different games and inventors in that time was interested”

“For Gavin to be as excited about Colour Block as Penny and myself were was very humbling.”

Mr Ucko said: “As an inventor, and somebody who works with inventors from all over the world, sometimes you have moments like this when you look at something and just go ‘Wow!’.

“My first reaction was ‘Oh my goodness, it has been sitting in an attic for 15 years - we have to make up for lost time here!’

“Rarely has bringing a game to market given me so much pleasure.”

Colour Block consists of 100 coloured circles, ten each of ten different colours, which sit inside a series of grids.

With each of the 45 multi-level puzzles, the task is to use a combination of logic and spatial awareness to ensure that once all of the blocks are in place, only the ten circles that you need to complete the challenge remain uncovered.

The game launched in the UK last December, and is set to launch internationally next month.