Thousands raised for charity in festive 'knitted topper trail'

Volunteers will be staging another trail in the Summer

The 10 Lords Are Leaping display
Author: Andrew KayPublished 30th Dec 2024

It's the last full day of hand-knitted unique 'toppers' being on show on Post Boxes across a Devon town.

The 12 festive-themed pieces are being taken down tomorrow so they don't get damaged on New Year's Eve.

Six Geese Are Laying

Volunteer Bryony Crump says they've raised more than £9,000 for Hospiscare and donations are still being accepted, adding: "We have played a bit free with some of the interpretations.

"For example the 'nine ladies dancing' depicts nine different types of dance and in the 'eleven pipers pipping' there is one that is a South West Water pipe."

Nine Ladies Dancing

The group meet weekly and spend months planning and creating the toppers - which this year has grown from a Summer display.

Ms Crump added: "It's been going four years in total and it's just expanded - and the support we have has been amazing."

She says they regularly get comments from around the world as pictures are posted on the Mail Trail Exmouth Facebook page.

Five Golden Rings

"We do occasionally get the odd bit of vandalism, unfortunately one of the Lords Are Leaping was taken - but the maker who created that topper took about three days to knit a whole new Lord."

The Toppers' JustGiving page to support Hospiscare can be found here

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.