People are "disgusted" after thieves swiped a popular woolly artwork .
The much-loved post box topper - created to commemorate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee - was stolen from Barleyfield, in Pensby, on Saturday. Its creator, Wendy Burles, described the theft as a "devious act", and said "everyone loved" the topper which was taken overnight on Saturday (July 9).
Wendy told the ECHO : “I started making post box toppers for a scarecrow festival last year and the positive feedback from it was amazing so I just carried on. I make them because they just bring so much joy to people. I really enjoy doing them and seeing how much pleasure they bring.
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“This one was made especially for the Jubilee and everyone loved it. At the moment, when everyone has a lot of worries and lots of things going on, it's just nice to make people smile when they see it.
"That’s why I was so upset when I saw it. It's not just for me - of course they’re hard work and they can take a lot of time and be quite costly- but it really has robbed people in the community of the joy of seeing it.”
The post box topper was secured with cable ties, and Wendy, who owns Arts & crafts shop, Little Boo's Crochet, said she believes the perpetrator would have needed tools to remove it.
She said: “The people had come prepared. We’re not off a main road so its only somewhere people would come if they were from the area. I do think sadly its been a planned event and the people have come deliberately. It really was secured very well.”
“I really do hope they enjoy it. I’m not being sarcastic because it was made for people to enjoy it. It’s just a shame they’ve robbed other people of that joy. I felt that’s awfully selfish of them. I hope it will find its way back but I’m not getting my hopes up sadly.”
Wendy said she was planning to create a large-scale project for Christmas but the theft has made her think twice.
She said: "The cost involved with the yarn and everything needed to make it means they’re not cheap. It’s not about that for me, but if they’re just going to take them then its sad and it has put me off. It’s doubly sad because Little Boo is my six-year-old and I started crocheting for him and its taken off from there. He’s very involved and the post box toppers were his idea, so he’s really sad.”
The theft coincided with another incident which took place over the weekend in neighbouring Heswall. The Hill House Garden Fairy Garden, which is incredibly popular amongst local children, was destroyed by vandals on Saturday evening.
Margaret Milner, from Friends of Hill House Gardens Heswall, said: “As a committee we try and arrange funding and think of projects for the local community. We got some funding from the postcode lottery and we have about 12 volunteers. Our treasurer, Julie, thought of setting up a children’s area that could be a nice calm space in the centre of Heswall.
"We ran a competition for children to design a Fairy Garden and at the beginning of the year we bought a number of things like post boxes and a washing line to create a village. We had a party of school children visit on Thursday and everything was there but when I looked on Sunday morning it had all gone."
“I think it might be connected to the stolen post box topper because it's not too far away.”
Margaret told the ECHO that the items from the fairy garden were superglued down, and said its "really sad" such well-loved attractions have been targeted.
She said: "Ours was superglued and secured. It’s been there for months. We’ve gotten so many comments from the community. We hadn’t realised how well liked it is, which is really heartening. So many people love it.
“Its just really sad because people like ourselves and Little Boo's Crochet are used to giving to the community and it hurts when people wreck it."
People have taken to social media to express the fury over the incidents, with one person describing the thefts as "disgusting".
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