WHEN Jack Tither died this year at 78, he left one of his most treasured possessions - a hand-made toy.

The carved wooden horse and cart, made in 1923, bore his full name, John Arthur Tither.

Now the family of Mr Tither, of Golborne, are trying to trace the family of a village wheelwright who is believed to have made the toy.

Joan Levy, of Leeds, said: "The maker was possibly called Aspinall and may have been a friend or relative of the Tither family.

"The surviving members of Jack's family would be grateful to anyone who could pass on information about the horse and cart. We want some provenance because we are considering donating it to a toy museum.

"My aunt, Miss Taylor, was brought up on a farm in Golborne and remembers a wheelwright making a new milk float for her father. This could be converted into a trap and as a little girl she went with him to Bruche, where he bought cows, and to a brewery near Culcheth, where he would buy a barrel of beer for his workmen."

Mrs Levy says her Tither grandparents had a friend called Aspinall and she remembers a young woman called Naomi. They could have been relatives as her grandfather was the eldest of 13 children.

Anyone who can help can contact her at 640 King Lane, Leeds, West Yorks, LS17 7AN or e-mail harry@lutzes.demon.co.uk