Mike strikes gold
Mike Townsend of Garden Hedge, Leighton Buzzard emerged as the winner of the Frog Game competition run by Leighton Buzzard & District Men's Shed on its stand at the town's Christmas Market on Saturday 13 December.
By fending off challenges from dozens of other contenders, Mike was duly crowned the victor and presented with the Shed's coveted Golden Frog trophy!
"The competition was hard fought with people trying their luck throughout the day," comments Shed Trustee Phil Sampson."The idea of the game is to score points by tossing coins into the pockets on the table, with the jackpot being frog's mouth – which scores a mighty 2,000 points. It might sound easy, but very few people succeeded on the day."
The Frog Game is a traditional game from the Basque Country, where it is known as "Igelaren jokoa". The table on the Shed's stand has been constructed using photographs of an old example found in St-Jean-de-Luz as a guide and is made entirely from scrap timber.
Anybody wishing to join or find out more about the Leighton Buzzard & District Men's Shed is invited to come along to an Open Evening being held at 7:00–9:00 PM on Tuesday 13 January 2026 in the Community Room, next door to the Narrow Gauge Railway Station in Pages Park, Leighton Buzzard.
The Leighton Buzzard & District Men’s Shed
The purpose of Leighton Buzzard & District Men’s Shed is to promote the preservation and protection of men's good health for the public benefit. Membership of the Shed is open to, but not limited to, those who are retired, unemployed or have health issues. The Shed seeks to achieve its objectives through the provision of facilities for hobbies, recreation or other leisure time occupations, including practical interests, skills sharing, the learning of new skills, and helping with other community-based projects.