A crochet and knitting group who decorate post boxes say they "will not be beaten" despite thieves and vandals ruining their displays.
Anyone strolling along England's Lane in Belsize Park will see a crocheted net hung on a postbox with dozens of knitted fish, a seagull and a boat with the words "Must keep the fish alive" on the rim.
The decorations began when singer-songwriter Caroline Chan began crocheting sunflowers when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and had the idea of using the postbox to show her solidarity.
Very soon a group called Belsize Creates Craft Club formed at Belsize Community Library, in Antrim Grove, and they created their first post box topper - a carpet of sunflowers with 'Peace' written around the edge.
"It was a real hit and all the locals were engaged and told us how it brought a smile to everyone," said Caroline.
The topper was stolen after just six days, Caroline described as "devastating", but she added: "Not to be beaten we made another. Everyone thought I was crazy to want to do this again.
"This time it had a little Jubilee theme. That too got vandalised so I decided to make a symbolic phoenix. Eventually that too was attacked and we have just kept replacing it."
She said locals send her photos of their children with the toppers, and their pets on top of it, including two infamous Instagram pets Monty Von Woof Woof and Siegrid the famous deaf cat.
The response helped Caroline realise that she could "say something important through craft".
She said combining toppers with her songwriting and poetry about climate change enabled conversations about the environmental crisis.
She added: "I had the idea of 'I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas' hoping people might see it and think twice about sustainable choices. Everything was green and I spent so many hours creating christmas trees, a grinch and a Santa and a dinosaur.
"Again, The Grinch got stolen and I replaced him, Santa got stolen and again I replaced him, then the dinosaur was removed and ended up on the front of a bike."
Sue Scott-Horne is one of the members of Belsize Creates. She said: "We were in solidarity with Ukraine and now we have a group of Ukrainian women attending the craft club with us.
"So many people are talking about our fabulous toppers; they bring their families and friends along to see them and have photos taken with them and they all ask what is the next one going to be?"
Belsize Creates Craft Club welcomes new members. Visit the library on Wednesdays from 1pm to 4pm to join. No experience is necessary.
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