By Sophie Swain Stand Up For Southport
Southport Hookers, a group of guerrilla yarn bombers who create postbox toppers around the town, have knitted some very special ones in honour of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
To mark D-Day, the team of 25 have knitted themed postbox toppers which were put around Southport on Friday (31st May 2024).
This Thursday (6th June 2024) marks eight decades since the largest naval, land and air operation in history – paying tribute to local heroes and celebrating 80 years of courage, sacrifice and resilience.
The Southport Hookers yarn bombing group in Southport have created special D-Day themed postbox toppers to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. One of the toppers is dedicated to Southport D-Day veteran Harry Howorth, who died recently aged 102
There are three toppers on Lord Street Northern Quarter, which includes crochet models of the Lancaster bomber, and a tank, and others on Hillside Bridge, Churchtown Lights, Norwood Avenue and Rufford Road.
Suzanne Goatcher, a member of the group said they have already had an ‘amazing reaction’ on their Facebook page.
One topper on Lord Street was inspired and made in tribute to a local D-Day veteran, Harry Howorth who sadly died recently at the age of 102.
Harry was one of the world’s last surviving D-Day veterans.
One of the legends at the Southport War Memorial re-dedication by Princess Anne in 2023 – Harry Howorth, aged 102, a D-Day veteran who landed on Sword Beach on 6th June 1944 . He was invited with his daughter; Edna English as a guest of honour to meet Princess Anne.
Photo by Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
Suzanne said: “We spoke with Sarah McEntee from Southport Royal British Legion and asked if there was anything we could do. She gave us the names of local veterans, Harry Howorth and Eric Suchland.
“She found details on Harry’s medals, beret and badge.
“We told him about the topper before he passed away and he was thrilled. We had already made it when he died so we checked with his family to ask if we could still display it. His granddaughter has seen the pictures on our page and is made up.
The Southport Hookers yarn bombing group in Southport have created special D-Day themed postbox toppers to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. One of the toppers is dedicated to Southport D-Day veteran Harry Howorth, who died recently aged 102
“The D-Day anniversary is so important. We hope our toppers can play a part in remembering those who fought and encourage children to ask questions.”
The Southport Hookers were honoured as a Finalists in the 2024 Grand Pride Of Sefton Awards in April.
Their extensive yarn-bombing campaign has led to an explosion of smiles from excited children who love seeing them.
The team of crocheters have been planning the D-Day themed toppers since January, with each topper taking around three weeks to make.
The Southport Hookers yarn bombing group in Southport have created special D-Day themed postbox toppers to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. One of the toppers is dedicated to Southport D-Day veteran Harry Howorth, who died recently aged 102
They are hoping to include a further tribute to Eric Suchland next year when they have found more information about his service.
Suzanne said: “Most people think it’s just one person working on one topper. Our group has people who are very experienced to those who are just beginning, we all have different skills so everyone makes different bits on each topper.
“We’re an inclusive group and want everyone to have a part in contributing what they can.”
The Southport Hookers yarn bombing group in Southport have created special D-Day themed postbox toppers to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. One of the toppers is dedicated to Southport D-Day veteran Harry Howorth, who died recently aged 102
The group is growing ‘bigger and bigger’ by the day, with different themed toppers planned all the way through to Christmas.
Other topper themes planned for the year include the ‘Give me a break Campaign’ which is a respite for carers, sports themes such as the Olympics, the Euros and others such as Halloween and the 100th anniversary Southport Flower Show which takes place this August.
The Southport Hookers yarn bombing group in Southport have created special D-Day themed postbox toppers to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. One of the toppers is dedicated to Southport D-Day veteran Harry Howorth, who died recently aged 102
Suzanne said: “The difference with crochet compared to knitting is that we can make anything that people ask for and everyone in the group likes a good challenge.”
To find out more about the group and see photographs of their creations you can follow their Southport Hookers social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.
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