Soldier postbox topper for Remembrance

A Shropshire woman who has crocheted a soldier postbox topper for Remembrance commemorations has received hundreds of congratulatory messages through social media.

Laura Sutcliffe, from Church Stretton, is well-known for her crochet creations - as the soldier is the 16th she has produced.

The topper is on Watling Street South in the south Shropshire town, where Laura first started to produce them in the first Covid lockdown.

"I made the first one with the hope of just raising a smile for the residents of a local care home, but they have been so well received locally that it’s encouraged me to keep going," she said.

Some of her previous toppers have included charity donation information, and so far Laura has raised more than £1,500 for Cancer Research UK.

"This one took me several days to make - working on it full time," Laura said.

"I enjoy making them. I write crochet patterns for a living, so making these is my way of crocheting for enjoyment rather than work reasons." 

A post about the soldier on the Laura Loves Crochet Facebook page has so far had more than 5,100 likes.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]