Hertfordshire festive yarn-bombers raise thousands for charities

All 82 toppers were put in place by Wednesday

A series of 82 festive yarn-bomb creations have so far raised £12,000 for two charities.

The toppers have been made by the St Albans Postboxes and were placed across Hertfordshire overnight on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for the group, which is raising funds for Youth Talk and ADD-vance, said the scheme was "off to a flying start".

It is the "highest figure we've ever raised by our launch", the spokeswoman said.

A full Christmas dinner has been knitted by volunteers...

...and then pudding is also on offer with festive yule logs and mince pies...

...or a Jammie Dodger biscuit

The work of 50 yarn-bombers was placed across St Albans, Park Street, Harpenden, Wheathampstead and Sandridge.

Clare Suttie, one of the group's founders, said: "2021 sees a record number of toppers, a bigger team of volunteers and we can't wait to see everyone out and about finding them all."

Since the group started in 2018 it has raised more than £64,000 for local charities.

The work by the St Albans Postboxes volunteers can take days to make

Father Christmas makes an appearance along with Rudolph

Most of the creations take about a day to make. They have been sponsored and feature a code that allows people to make a donation.

"Some of the toppers are such incredible works of art that hundreds of hours go in to making them - as they have such intricate detail and characters," Ms Suttie said.

"We are extremely grateful for the time and effort that our volunteers dedicate to making such fantastic pieces that bring so much cheer and delight every December."

Jenny Smith, another organiser, said: "After months of hard work from our volunteers, getting all the postbox toppers up and seeing them make people smile is brilliant."

Each festive topper has a different theme, including a snowman and a gingerbread house