Charity postbox topper destroyed in fire

A knitted postbox topper was destroyed by a fire, organisers of a charity trail said.

The postbox topper, on Withycombe Village Road in Exmouth, was suspected to have been damaged on Sunday evening.

Organisers added the damage to the topper, which was part of the 2025 Hospiscare Mail Trail, was reported to them on Monday.

The fundraiser has seen 57 postboxes around Exmouth topped with hand-knitted and crocheted scenes to raise money for the charity Hospiscare.

One of the organisers of the trail, Clare Suttie, said everyone was "shocked" and "incredibly sad" about the fire.

"Each topper is handmade with love and hours of work by volunteers - and every one is raising vital funds for Hospiscare," she added.

"This wasn't just damage to a piece of wool. It was a blow to our makers, our fundraiser, and our community spirit.

"But the trail goes on, and we won't let this stop us."

Organisers said there were hopes the topper would be replaced but as the postbox was "quite damaged" they were waiting on confirmation.

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