A knitting club that makes seasonal ‘hats’ for a local postbox has been hit by a second theft.

The autumn postbox topper is one of nearly ten the Highworth Knitting Ninjas have made, which bring joy to the nearby school, residents and postman.

But it was taken without a trace on October 18. 

A club member remembered when she heard: “I thought, ‘Oh god, it’s happened again’. It was such a horrible, sinking feeling.”

It is not the first theft, with a previous summer design being taken and then later returned, albeit in a sorry state.

The damaged and unpicked summer topper was found in a Tesco bag next to the postbox and club members hope this one is returned too. But until then they say it has placed their post-box topping in jeopardy.(Image: The Highworth Knitting Ninjas)

A member said: “We don't have the confidence now to put them out. If we had this one returned with a guarantee that we'll leave future ones alone, then we'd just overlook it and carry on. But we just don't have that security of knowledge.”

The club has an eyewitness description of the culprits, so they believe it was the same teens both times. 

But the club is keen to avoid a “witch hunt” and has not reported the incident to the police, partly because postbox toppers themselves have borderline legality.The Easter topper The Easter topper (Image: The Highworth Yarny Ninjas)

“We didn't report it to the police because we're not legally able to put anything on post boxes - it is classed as vandalism”, one Knitting Ninja said.

In fact, they say that if the knitting nabbers are so keen on their designs they will knit them something specially.

The club is now working on their Christmas topper, which they say will be one of the most delicate yet it is having to think of a safer spot to display it, such as a shop window.The Valentine topper (Image: The Highworth Yarny Ninjas)

“We don't want to put it out because if it just gets ruined, that is months of work”, worried a member.

The club was formed in 2021 for the Queen's Jubilee and meets at the Goldfinger Tavern every Thursday at 7pm to scheme and discuss new inventions.

The Knitting Ninjas are one of many postbox-topping clubs around the country, and vandalism is a problem many of them face.

“This is not an isolated incident. Right across the UK where people make toppers they get stolen, trashed, put in dustbins and set on fire.

“It is a small minority. But we thought we were safe from it.”

Help support trusted local news

Sign up for a digital subscription now: https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/subscribe/

As a digital subscriber, you will get:            

  • Unlimited access to the Swindon Advertiser website        
  • Advert-light access             
  • Reader rewards             
  • Full access to our app