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Crocheters decorate post boxes with woolly toppers to celebrate Queen's Jubilee

Royal themed crochet toppers have appeared on post boxes across the country to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. (PA)
Royal themed crochet toppers have appeared on post boxes across the country to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. (PA)

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Crochet fans are celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by adorning post boxes across the country with woolly toppers of the monarch and her corgis.

Keen crocheters have picked up their hooks to decorate their local post boxes with bejewelled crowns and lovingly crafted miniature versions of the Queen to mark her 70 years on the throne.

Creations have been spotted in towns and villages from Wallasey to Didcot.

Jasmine Colley, 27, dedicated six weeks to her Jubilee-themed creation, which she displayed on a post box near her home in Harwich, Essex.

The design features a purple and gold crown flanked by one of the Queen’s corgis and the monarch herself, sporting a matching purple dress and hat.

“It is so admirable that the Queen is the longest reigning female monarch of all time,” Colley, a customer master data lead, told the PA news agency.

“I loved it [the process]. I spend all my spare time crocheting, it’s so nice driving past and seeing people looking at it."

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Jasmine Colley even gave her Queen a crocheted corgi to sit with. (Jasmine Colley/PA)
Jasmine Colley even gave her Queen a crocheted corgi to sit with. (Jasmine Colley/PA)

Colley is running her own competition to encourage local people to get involved in the celebrations.

“All they have to do is share and take a selfie with ‘the Queen’ for a chance to win their own crochet Queen," she explains.

“It’s so nice to see the community getting involved especially when we were all locked down for so long. I can’t wait to see the town all decorated and the street parties in action in June.”

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Julie Walker, 54, is the crochet creator behind a yarn replica of the Queen’s head, topped with a sparkling crown and matching earrings.

The incredible decoration, which took her three weeks to make, perches on a post box near her home in Wallasey and has attracted attention from many passersby.

“I loved making this one, watching her come to life,” Walker says.

“I am a royalist and think the Queen has done an amazing job.

“I’m really looking forward to celebrating the Jubilee with family and friends.”

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The impressive crochet toppers are bringing the community together ahead of the jubilee. (PA)
The impressive crochet toppers are bringing the community together ahead of the jubilee. (PA)

Another red pillar box in Doveridge, Derbyshire has also been given royal makeover and is now adorned with an extravagant crown ahead of the bank holiday weekend.

Creator Leonie Edwards, a 36-year-old electronics manufacturer has recently moved into the village, so thought it was a nice way of connecting to the community.

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

“I love royal history, especially Tudor history and our Queen is part of that.”

One creative, who requested to be referred to as Yarnsy, made a version of the Queen in a turquoise ensemble with one of her guards next to her.

The two figures are backdropped by a blue, white and red rainbow.

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Some of the impressive creation feature miniature corgis. (PA)
Some of the impressive creation feature miniature corgis. (PA)

“I’m a big fan of anything that encourages community spirit,” the 46-year-old from Didcot, Oxfordshire says.

“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.

“It really is nice to see people stopping to take a look or responding to social media posts with their lovely feedback.”

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

“It started in lockdown with people who could crochet or knit, leaving covered post box tops or little gifts out in their local community,” the 68-year-old from Stopsley, Luton, explains.

Read more: 7 times the Royal Family made political statements with their fashion choices

The crochet creations are delighting royal fans. (PA)
The crochet creations are delighting royal fans. (PA)

No doubt Tom Daley's love of the craft has played a role in its rise in popularity, with the Olympic medallist being dubbed “the world’s biggest crochet influencer”.

After winning gold in synchronised diving, he knitted a pouch for his medal to keep it from getting scratched. He also knitted a cardigan that featured elements of the Olympic rings and the British flag.

​​“One thing that has kept me sane throughout this whole process is my love for knitting and crochet and all things stitching,” he said in an Instagram video showing off the crafty cosy.

Daley doesn't just crochet to pass the time, however, he says he does it for his mental health.

And science has backed up his belief that crafting can be good for the mind with a recent study published in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy revealing that knitting had significant psychological and social benefits that contribute to wellbeing and quality of life.

The Jubilee weekend will take place between Thursday June 2 and Sunday June 5.

Shop our favourite Platinum Jubilee hand-knitted items and craft kits

Crochet Queen Elizabeth Doll | £28.50 from Etsy

(The Crafty Sue Store)
(The Crafty Sue Store)

Handmade Crochet Queen Applique | £9.50 from Etsy

(Hooked By Lucy Crafts)
(Hooked By Lucy Crafts)

The Make Arcade Queen's Platinum Jubilee Mini Bunting Sewing Kit | £22 from John Lewis

(John Lewis & Partners)
(John Lewis & Partners)

The Make Arcade Queen's Platinum Jubilee Mini Decorations Sewing Kit | £18 from John Lewis

(John Lewis & Partners)
(John Lewis & Partners)

The Make Arcade Queen's Platinum Jubilee Mini Corgi Cross Stitch Kit | £10

(John Lewis & Partners)
(John Lewis & Partners)

Additional reporting PA.