How Compo’s up to his old tricks in Holmfirth – yarn-bombing a Royal Mail postbox

Nora Batty and Compo are to bring a smile to people’s faces in Holmfirth once more.

The much-loved Last of the Summer Wine characters have been recreated in wool as part of a “yarn-bombing” project.

Win and Karen Harrison, of community group Holmepride, borrowed the idea after seeing a decorated Royal Mail pillar box in Filey.

After an appeal on Facebook, crafty local Helen Cowan offered to help, finding a suitable crochet pattern which would turn a Holmfirth pillar box into a work of art.

The centrepiece of the creation sees a model of Compo offering flowers to his beloved. The design also features Finella the Holmfirth tiger, the Yorkshire rose and some cute sheep and ducks.

The topper has just had a fitting on the postbox on the corner of Victoria Street near the former Yorkshire Building Society and got a great reaction from locals and visitors alike.

The letterbox topper will be brought out for special occasions such as the Holmfirth Duck Race in July and the Queen’s Jubilee.

It will have its first public appearance on Friday March 4 as a coffee morning is held at The Civic on behalf of Holmepride – Community in Action.

Win said: “The postbox toppers are known as ‘yarn-bombing’ and it’s something that has been sweeping the country.

“Karen and I spotted the first photo in Filey and I’ve since discovered they have different ones for each season. We thought it would be nice if Holmfirth had a similar postbox topper, depicting what our town is all about.”

The topper took six months to make and Win added: “The centrepoint of the topper had to be Compo handing a bunch of flowers to the love of his life Nora Batty.

“Holmfirth is also famed for the tiger that lived in the town named Finella, who was often seen being taken for a walk through the town in the late 1940s and 1950s, so Finella was a must have.

“Sheep, of course, are seen on surrounding hillsides and mallards, together with other breed of ducks, have their own feeding area down by the River Holme that flows through Holmfirth. The topper wouldn’t be complete without a few Yorkshire roses to complement where we live.”

And, yes, postbox toppers are perfectly legal. As long as the letter slot isn’t blocked and the door can still be opened the Royal Mail love them!