Derbyshire gran who taught herself to crochet during lockdown unveils roarsome postbox topper

Margaret Upton, 71, who lives in Newhall, Swadlincote has created a red dragon which currently has pride of place on a postbox in Ticknall. Her creation signifies the Chinese year of the dragon.

She said: “I was taught to crochet by my grandma when I was a small child but it was only very basic. I could only make squares for blankets. It was only in lockdown that I studied YouTube and taught myself to crochet properly.

“The dragon took me about three weeks to make. I usually theme the toppers around events throughout the year such as winter, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, but sometimes my daughter will come across a pattern and send it to me if she thinks it’ll make a good subject. The dragon took me about three weeks to make. The one that took the longest to make was an owl but unfortunately it was stolen after about four weeks.”

Margaret has crocheted postbox toppers depicting a king and bearskin-capped guards to celebrate the coronation of Charles III, a soldier surrounded by poppies to mark Remembrance Day, Santa disappearing headfirst down a chimney, Highland cows, elephants and bees.

The retired insurance office worker said: “Everyone is really supportive, especially in the village of Ticknall as they all seem to know it’s me from walking my dogs there every day, and I get some lovely remarks on Facebook too.

+Do you know anyone who makes postbox toppers to bring a smile to the community where you live in Derbyshire? If so, email details and photos to: [email protected]