Platinum Jubilee: Woolly postbox toppers appear for Queen

Woolly postbox toppers have appeared in towns and villages across England to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee.

Keen crocheters have decorated their communities with bejewelled crowns and googly-eyed versions of the Queen to mark her 70 years on the throne.

Creations have been spotted from Wallasey to Didcot.

One crafter, Yarnsy from Oxfordshire, said it was a perfect opportunity to have a "jolly good get together" with friends.

Jasmine Colley dedicated six weeks to her jubilee-themed creation, which she displayed on a post box near her home in Harwich, Essex.

The 27-year-old said: "It is so admirable that the Queen is the longest reigning female monarch of all time."

Julie Walker is the mastermind behind a yarn replica of the Queen's head, topped with a sparkling crown and matching earrings.

The decoration, which took her three weeks, perches on a postbox near her home in Wallasey, Merseyside, and has attracted attention from many passers-by.

"I loved making this one, watching her come to life," Ms Walker, 54, said.

Another postbox in Doveridge, Derbyshire, has also been given a woolly makeover.

Creator Leonie Edwards, 36, said: "I've only just moved to the village, so thought it was a nice way of connecting to the community.

"It was meant to be a secret - I went out at 6am on Sunday morning to install it but the postmaster spotted me. I thought it would be a nice mystery for the village."

One creative, who requested they be referred to as Yarnsy, made a version of the Queen in a turquoise ensemble with one of her guards. The pair are backdropped by a red, white and blue rainbow.

"I'm a big fan of anything that encourages a nice community spirit," the 46-year-old from Didcot, Oxfordshire, said.

"The jubilee is a perfect opportunity to connect with your friends and family and have a jolly good get together. I think the UK is unique in having such a long-standing figurehead."

The projects take many hours to complete but mailbox toppers are a "fast-growing phenomenon", according to an avid crochet fan who asked to remain anonymous.

"It started in lockdown with people who could crochet or knit, leaving covered postbox tops or little gifts out in their local community," the 68-year-old from Stopsley, Luton, explained.

The jubilee weekend will take place between 2 - 5 June.

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