FAQ

How do I donate?

You can donate via our Give As You Live page here: https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/st-albans-postboxes-christmas-2022

All the money goes directly to our charities

Where do the donations go?

All the donations are split evenly between our 2 charities for 2022.

The charities are:

St Albans Action for the Homeless

St Albans Community Pantry (via The Sopwell Community Trust)

All donations are via the Give As You Live donation page - https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/st-albans-postboxes-christmas-2022

Can you make a topper for my postbox?

You can ask, and we will consider - but only if you live in the St Albans area. We can't make a topper immediately for any further postboxes in 2022, but we will consider for 2023.

What happens to the toppers?

Our amazing team will take down the toppers at the end of December. They'll then be gently checked over, audited, washed and stored ready for their next appearance.

We repair and recycle as much as we possibly can. We do take some wiring and staples out to prevent rust - and these will be put back together next autumn.

We only throw away anything that has been damaged beyond repair.

Why don’t you sell the toppers to raise more money?

The toppers are built to survive 30 days on top of a postbox in December. They are complex structures of wire, staples and glue to keep them together.

They are not toys and as such, don't meet any standards by which we could sell them.

We recycle and reuse as much as possible ready for next year - this really is a year long project!

Each topper will usually last a number of years and so can help us to carry on fundraising, which we believe will raise more money, for more charities.

Can I have the patterns please?

Our amazing crochet team have either found the patterns online (using Google), adapted patterns they already have or, the creative geniuses that they are, made them up themselves.

We do have standard patterns for the bases (knitting, and crochet), and can send these to you on request. Note that if you are planning to yarn-bomb a postbox, they do come in a variety of sizes, so you will need to do some measuring!

Can you teach me to knit or crochet?

We don't run any classes, but there are lots of knitting and crochet groups locally.

If you fancy teaching yourself to crochet or knit, there are many books and YouTube tutorials available to get you started.

Can I make a topper for next year?

We'd love to hear from you if you'd like to get involved with making a topper. We'll need a firm commitment by March (that's when it all starts!) about what you can do.

It might be that you can make the topper bases but not the decorations, or the other way around. Get in touch with us to register your interest - email candidastuart@gmail.com

All our team provide their own yarn - although we do often receive generous donations of yarn and we distribute this as and when needed.

Can I sponsor a topper next year?

We love to hear from sponsors and the sooner we know about you, the better. Please register your interest as soon as you can - email clare@atlas-translations.co.uk

Why don’t you do more to protect the toppers?

Every part of the St Albans Postboxes yarnbomb is done by volunteers. That includes:

• Every topper being made
• Every topper being put onto the postbox
• All social media
• This website and everything on it
• Every topper being collected, washed, repaired and stored for next year
• Everything else

We really hope that you enjoy the toppers but we don't have the time or manpower to take them in every night, cover them in a dome or GPS track them.

We hope that people enjoy and respect them.

Can I share pictures?

Of course! We love to see them - please do share.

Facebook - the St Albans Postboxes Page, your own page, anywhere you think they'll be appreciated

Twitter - please tag us @spostboxes and #stalbanspostboxes

Instagram - please tag us @stalbanspostboxes and #stalbanspostboxes