Syston Knitting Banxy spreads Christmas cheer in town

A mystery knitter has been spreading Christmas cheer around a town with a variety of woollen decorations.

Syston Knitting Banxy's latest knitted postbox topper, featuring Santa's reindeer at the North Pole, appeared in the early hours.

She has also created a knitted Christmas teddy, which was placed on a bollard in the Leicestershire town.

The anonymous stitcher keeps her identity secret as she "prefers to stay in the shadows".

"The latest topper took two weeks to create. I had in mind something bright and colourful, to help lift the mood," she said.

Earlier this month, she also hid knitted angels around the town for people to find, with the help of a voluntary group called Angels in Syston.

This latest reindeer creation is Knitting Banxy's 26th postbox topper.

As well as the toppers, she has made other creations including a full-sized knitted soldier for Remembrance Day, which attracted attention on social media from around the world.

The knitter said she created this bright and colourful reindeer topper in the face of gloomy weather and gloomy headline news.

She added: "The dancing reindeer subject was chosen to raise smiles and to complement my recent support to Mind charity, when I gifted our local shop a hand-knitted reindeer and 50 organza bags containing 'reindeer food''."

This was a sparkly treat for Santa's reindeer containing biodegradable glitter.

Fiona Henry, editor of Syston Town News, said the latest knitted creations were "just what we need on a cold winter morning. It brings a smile and warms the heart".

But other knitters have been at work across the East Midlands, with colourful festive displays spotted in Morton in Derbyshire and Ruddington and Clifton in Nottinghamshire.

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