A woman dubbed the ‘Banksy of knitting’ has teamed up with Wirral residents to create a trail of post box toppers to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Earlier this month, the ECHO revealed that Sandra Birch, 59, from Wallasey, was behind a series of crocheted toppers that had been mysteriously appearing across the region. And now Sandra has joined forces with the Wallasey Village in Bloom group and Wallasey Girl Guides to put together a commemorative display of nine toppers ahead of next weekend’s festivities.
Valerie Hemmingway, a member of Wallasey Village in Bloom, told the ECHO: “We’re a group of volunteers who have transformed Wallasey village with our floral planting. Some of us like knitting and crocheting and so a sub-group emerged where we all joined forces to make post box toppers.”
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She added: “In January, we decided to pull out all the stops for its jubilee year and create some post box toppers to celebrate. We got together with our patterns and ideas and each chose a theme.”
The group reached out to Sandra and another resident crocheter, Julie Walker, to help make the trail even more spectacular.
Valerie said: “We thought it would be a good idea to put a map together so that during the Jubilee weekend, when people are off, they could go around the village and find where each topper is. We just thought it would be something fun to do with all the family.”
The trail has drawn a lot of attention on social media, with one Facebook user commenting: “Fantastic and very clever, they brighten up our lives”, whilst another said: “We are very lucky to have such talented people here on this corner of the Wirral”.
And Valerie and the rest of the team are delighted with the response to their work. Valerie said: “We really appreciate all the comments. There’s a lot of in Bloom groups now across the Wirral and they all go out of their way to create a lovely community atmosphere.”
You can follow the trail by visiting the following locations:
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Crown – Corner of Broadway Avenue and Claremount Road
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Crown on cushion – Parkside Vets
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Queen – Fleur Ashley Tea Room
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Crown – Grove Road Chemist
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Windsor Castle – Corner of Gorveland Avenue and Stanley Avenue
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Grenadier guards – Green Lane
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Queen and castle – Mockbeggar Drive
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Coach and footman – Corner of Saltburn Road and Greenleas Road
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Girl guides campfire – Leasowe Road
