These four women all have a special room in their house dedicated to their particular interest — from the cute and cuddly to the jaw-dropping…
The MANE event
Watching my daughter Bella, five, tear the wrapping paper off her birthday presents, one gift in particular caught my eye.
‘Wow, it’s a My Little Pony!’ I said.
Growing up, I was obsessed with the plastic ponies but I couldn’t afford them.
Instead, my gran and I would look out for them in charity shops, then clean them up and repaint them.
But now, because Bella loved them too, there was nothing to stop me from splurging.
I started scouring online marketplaces for old collectibles, and Bella and I worked together to make them look beautiful again.
I joined My Little Pony groups online and learnt how to find rare ones that were worth a lot of money.
Some cost us pennies, but a couple of rare ponies were worth more than £1500.
We even took a trip to Florida to meet My Little Pony creator Bonnie Zacherle.
As our collection grew, I had to pack them away to save space, but then Bella was sad that she couldn’t play with them any more.
‘I wish we had somewhere to keep them out on display,’ I said to my husband Kieran.
‘Why don’t we build an extra room on the side of the house?’ he said.
So we did!
We have special lighting to prevent the ponies’ colours from fading, and we can display over 600 of our colourful colts.
Bella and her friends play with them all the time, and when we show visitors the room, they leave with a smile on their faces.
People’s eyes water when I tell them how much my collection is valued at — a whopping £35,000.
But to us, it’s priceless.
It’s a special way for me and Bella to spend time together, and it means I can keep a little part of my childhood too.
From Lauren Henderson, 36, of South Wales
Stay SHARP
As I wandered through the antiques market, something glinted in the sunshine.
‘Oh!’ I said to my husband Stephen, ‘that is beautiful.’
It was a samurai sword. The seller showed me the intricate hand-carvings on the blade and I was in awe.
‘It would make a lovely ornament,’ I told Stephen.
‘There’s no way I’m having a blade like that in the house!’ he replied.
I knew he was thinking of it from a safety point of view, but I’d fallen in love with it as a piece of décor.
Then, that Christmas, as I unwrapped the present he’d bought me, I gasped.
‘You got me the sword!’ I said. ‘I thought you didn’t like it.’
‘I don’t, but I could see how much you loved it,’ he replied
It was so sweet of him, especially as I knew it had set him back £250.
From then on, I scoured the internet for more.
Eventually, I collected seven, as well as 15 knives that were replicas of the ones in the sci-fi film The Chronicles of Riddick.
Every day, I gave the sheaths a wipe to keep them from getting dusty, and once a month I’d wax all the blades.
My most prized possession was a 4ft-tall replica sword from The Punisher film, worth £280.
No one’s allowed to touch my swords — not even Stephen after he used one to slice his mum’s birthday cake!
Some people have called me weird, but I don’t care.
I love my unusual collection and despite how scary they might look, they’re not harming anyone.
From Rachel Conway, 56, of Salford, Greater Manchester
Stuff it!
My little boy Abrey, five, pointed a finger and said; ‘Mum, are those real?’
We were on holiday in Florida and he’d seen some alligator heads in a souvenir shop.
I thought they were a bit gruesome but he loved them, so I ended up buying him a small one.
Afterwards I fretted and said to my husband: ‘Should we have bought that for him?’
‘Why not?’ he replied. ‘It makes him happy.’
But we had no idea of what was to come…
Back home, Abrey spent hours online looking at taxidermy and showed me insects, frogs and bats set in acrylic.
Over time, I bought him some as presents and he saved his pocket money to buy more.
Now he’s 11 and has 55 items, including a 10-in baby shark and a deer’s head that we put on the wall.
He also has jewellery with snake bones in it and some shark teeth.
He’s fascinated with animals and I think he’s a little David Attenborough in the making.
Although he’s always keen to show them to visitors, I’ve warned him that they’re not to everyone’s tastes.
Altogether the collection is worth around £1000.
Next, Abrey wants a taxidermy badger and he’s put an owl on his Christmas list.
Yes, his taste is eccentric, but it’s what makes him a unique and special little boy.
From Gemma Louise Davies, 42, of Tuffley, Gloucestershire
Oh, what’s occurring?
After a long day, I loved nothing more than curling up on the sofa with a glass of wine and my favourite programme, Gavin & Stacey.
I Ioved the show’s feel-good factor and it always had me howling with laughter.
In time, I visited Barry Island where it was filmed, and while I was there, I bought a couple of souvenir cups and tea towels.
And that was me hooked!
After that, I collected the cast’s autographs and some tea towels signed by Uncle Bryn actor Rob Brydon. I bought everything I could from fridge magnets to chopping boards!
I even went on a Gavin & Stacey tour bus which took us to a house owned by a woman named Glenda, where scenes from Stacey’s home were filmed.
‘It’s lovely to meet you,’ I said.
We got chatting and even exchanged phone numbers to keep in touch.
Then, I met Oscar Hartland who played Neil the baby, and was starstruck.
I needed somewhere to display all my memorabilia, so I recreated the pub from the show in my own home.
My son Dan, 35, often sat at the bar singing songs from the show’s soundtrack.
The item I treasure most is a photo of Doris, signed by the actress Margaret John, especially as she’s no longer with us.
I’ve spent around £1000 on memorabilia, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Dan and I still pop along to Glenda’s every so often for a cuppa, and we’ve become good friends with Oscar’s family too.
Thanks to Gavin & Stacey I’ve made some wonderful memories and met some even more wonderful people.
From Lisa Portsmouth, 56, of Southampton, Hampshire