Syston Knitting Banxy leaves Remembrance Day tribute

A Remembrance Day tribute created by a mystery knitter has gone on display.

Leicestershire's Syston Knitting Banxy has become famous for creating detailed toppers that decorate a post box on High Street in the town.

Her latest work, featuring the boots and hat of a soldier surrounded by poppies, made its debut on Tuesday.

It replaced a tribute to the comedy Ghosts, which celebrated Halloween and the BBC's centenary and drew reaction from the programme's stars.

The anonymous knitter's latest work won plaudits from online followers.

One person on Facebook described it as "a fantastic and poignant tribute".

Another said: "Wow. What a beautiful piece".

Fiona Henry, the owner of Syston Town News, is one of just a handful of people to know the identity of the anonymous artist.

She said it was the topper created for Remembrance Day 2020 that made the work of Syston Knitting Banxy famous.

Some of the pattern details for this design were shared on her Facebook page over the summer and Ms Henry said she expected to see lots of efforts to recreate the Tommy soldier this year.

The latest topper has replaced one of Syston Knitting Banxy's most famous pieces to date.

Ms Henry said the Ghosts topper featured on numerous websites and even attracted some international audiences.

She said: "It was for Halloween but also for the BBC's centenary to say congratulations to the BBC this year."

The topper - that detailed all nine of the main ghost characters - has been offered to the creators of the TV sitcom.

Laurence Rickard, one of the show's writers and the actor who plays Robin and Humphrey, accepted the offer on BBC Radio Leicester saying they wanted it "more than anything".

He said: "I think it's brilliant.

"Apart from anything else, the skill that's clearly gone into making it is incredible."

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