Thanks guys, I have sorted out by removal of the cover and manually winding back the black plastic pulley that's exposed on the top and pulling the starter a few times to loosen it up. I've started it a free times and it's now retracting fully, sometimes needing to be guided in. I'll leave it for now.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
