Christmas Yarn bombing in St Albans

Yes, you’re right – that is a post box – with a topper! The brainchild of St Albans Post Boxes who top no less than 50 postboxes all around St Albans each year to raise money for two charities:

Open Door who work to ensure that no one needs to sleep rough in St Albans and the St Albans and District Food Bank.

And here is Santa atop another….

The toppers are knitted, sewn, crocheted and assembled by the 30 creative YarnBombers of St Albans who then, at the beginning of December, fan out across St Albans, topping the postboxes.

And here is Jen, a leading light among the YarnBombers and the creator of our lovely new FreeFrom Food Awards website, topping the last of her consignment.

LOADS more images to be found on their Instagram site.

I asked Jen whether – because their toppers were so delightful– they got nicked. She said:

‘We usually lose about 3 – of 50.  I suspect that as fewer people will be out on Christmas drinkies this year, it may (we hope) be better.  We had one nicked in Year 1 and never found. The new topper was nicked from the same location nicked in Year 2 – and replaced with the Year 1 one!    One was torched in Year 1 – but caught on CCTV and the peeps got arrested.  The good folk of St Albans were all for bring back corporal punishment…

All the money raised goes to Open Door and St Albans Foodbank – we sponsor the one then do all the tech, the app, their website and their Twitter feed pro bono.  The trail is on the EYES on St Albans app (available from Apple & Google stores) and there will be a list of the prizes on the postboxes and on the DigitalJen website shortly.’

You can donate  at www.stalbanspostboxes.org.uk – or at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/stalbanspostboxes