Easter UK: As families make ‘hats’ for post boxes, is this the cutest craze of all time? 

A first class Easter… all stitched up! As families make crocheted themed ‘hats’ for post boxes, is this the cutest craze of all time?

  • Crafty folk have crept out of their homes to put woolly hats on pillar boxes
  • Initially decorated to support the work of the NHS at the start of the pandemic
  • Creations heralding the start of spring and Easter have been popping up

It is the clandestine crochet craze that has brought joy to communities in lockdown.

In the dead of night, crafty folk, with nicknames including the Caped Crocheter and the Crochet Guerrilla, have been creeping out of their homes to put colourful woolly hats on pillar boxes. And as these pictures show, the idea has gone national.

Initially decorated with rainbows to support the work of the NHS at the start of the pandemic, so-called post box toppers have since emerged with Christmas scenes, or to celebrate special occasions, such as Valentine’s Day. Now creations heralding the start of spring and Easter have been popping up on street corners.

From Clacton to Cornwall new decorations have appeared with songbirds, daffodils or Easter chicks, bunnies and eggs.

One Facebook group, called Random Acts of Crochet Kindness, in which members leave handmade flowers, teddy bears or other animals on park benches or doorsteps for strangers to find, has accumulated more than 26,000 crochet-mad members.

Ruth Walker, spokesman for the Crochet Society said droves had turned to crocheting and other crafts in the pandemic. ‘It relieves stress, helps anxiety and provides mindfulness because people have to concentrate on something other than their worries,’ she said.

‘The pillar box craze has been lovely, especially for children who want to walk around towns to see them. Covid has really given all crafters the opportunity to shine.’

It’s blooming lovely: Bella Tomlin, nine, admires the wildlife in Upper Sundon, Beds

Hen-chanting: Mother and chicks in St Tudy, Cornwall

Hen-chanting: Mother and chicks in St Tudy, Cornwall

Rosalynn Austin enjoys a rainbow hat in Portsmouth

Rosalynn Austin enjoys a rainbow hat in Portsmouth

Top of the bill: More ducks, in Ewell, Surrey, with admirers, from left, Eva and Scarlett, both eight, Frankie, three, and Pixie and Kiera, both seven

Top of the bill: More ducks, in Ewell, Surrey, with admirers, from left, Eva and Scarlett, both eight, Frankie, three, and Pixie and Kiera, both seven

What a yarn: Spring has sprung for this charming couple in the tiny village of Rogiet, Monmouthshire

What a yarn: Spring has sprung for this charming couple in the tiny village of Rogiet, Monmouthshire

Cheep date: More colourful chicks, this time with roses for company, on a topper in Wallington, Surrey

Cheep date: More colourful chicks, this time with roses for company, on a topper in Wallington, Surrey 

Petal power: Glorious sunflowers are the woolly focal point in Sandy Lane South, Surrey

Hat¿s the way to do it: Two-year-old Sonny Baxter gets a helping hand to post a letter in Carshalton, Surrey

Petal power: Glorious sunflowers are the woolly focal point in Sandy Lane South, Surrey (left). Right, Two-year-old Sonny Baxter gets a helping hand to post a letter in Carshalton, Surrey

Easter funny: Bunny and pals on a Sheffield post box

Easter funny: Bunny and pals on a Sheffield post box

Egged on: This pillar box in Epsom, Surrey, combines spring and Easter with an egg, chicks and daffodils

Egged on: This pillar box in Epsom, Surrey, combines spring and Easter with an egg, chicks and daffodils

Stamp of approval: A gang of carefully crocheted cuddly creatures brighten up the street in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex

Stamp of approval: A gang of carefully crocheted cuddly creatures brighten up the street in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex

Cute little Brummie rabbits: Floppy-eared friends having a chat in Kings Heath, Birmingham

Cute little Brummie rabbits: Floppy-eared friends having a chat in Kings Heath, Birmingham