'Knitting nana's' England postbox scene for final

A woman who knitted a Euros postbox topper hoped it would inspire others to support England ahead of the final on Sunday.

The 71-year-old, known as Knitting Nana, kept her identity a secret as she liked to hide yarn creations around her hometown of Newport Pagnell, in Buckinghamshire.

She admitted to being "football mad" and spent a month creating tiny versions of the England players, their manager and a postbox topper for Lakes Lane.

Speaking about her work she said: "I hope it makes people feel happy and it gets people behind the team."

Knitting Nana said she was taught to knit when she was five by her father, who learnt the skill in the army and is now in his 90s.

He also took her to watch several England games at Wembley during the 1966 World Cup.

She returned to knitting in 2020 during the pandemic to help her mental health and cheer up others in the community.

The grandmother of two said: "It's art, it's street art. It's not cheap either but I don't worry about that, it's something I like doing and it makes people happy."

She designed all the players herself and said the hardest yarn effigy to create was Gareth Southgate as she struggled to accurately create his facial features.

She said workmen had posed and taken photos with her topper and pictures have been shared "wildly" online.

Knitting Nana predicted a victory against Spain on Sunday.

She added: "We will win 2-1. Everything that's happened, late goals, iffy penalties, I'm being positive."

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