19-year-old Tampere student unveils 7-metre, 40,320-piece Disney jigsaw at Ratina

Juulia Ahvonen, 19, will unveil the 7-metre, 40,320-piece Disney jigsaw puzzle she assembled over four years at Ratina shopping centre on Saturday.

Ahvonen began puzzling as a child and bought the giant puzzle at 15 with her first summer wages. The roughly €400 purchase, she says, has been worth every penny. She worked on it at home in ten sections of 4,032 pieces, building each section on large plexiglass boards taped together. She currently stores the work as 71 separate parts. On the morning the exhibition opens she will link them together for the first time. "I'm looking forward to Saturday, because I'll see the whole for the first time," she said.

The exhibition runs from 19 September to 1 October and aims to find a permanent home for the piece. Ahvonen plans to donate the finished puzzle based on interest gathered at the show. She suggested possible recipients including daycare centres, schools, children's homes and children's hospitals, hoping the work will continue to bring joy to children.