Oundle blitzed with Christmas cheer by festive ‘yarn bombers’

A group of knitters armed with lashings of festive cheer have given Oundle town centre a Christmas make-over that would make Santa proud.

Though handsome at any time, the stately Market Place is now awash with Yuletide-related characters, images and motifs, all of which have been artfully knitted by hand.

More than 1,500 squares of knitted material now cover seven benches and two trees within the town centre. In addition, there is also a delightful ‘flying’ display of Santa being pulled in his sleigh by nine super-cute reindeers.

The perpetrators of this festive frenzy are the Oundle Yarn Bombers, a dedicated group of more than 30 local knitting enthusiasts who love nothing more than using their artisan skills to spread joy and happiness.

Carolyn Barlow, one of the group’s many enthusiastic members, told the Peterborough Telegraph that the yarn bombings are a true labour of love:

“There’s so much love and effort gone into it,” she says.

“All the pensioners who do the knitting; on Sundays they’re all wrapped up, sat with blankets on their knees in the throes of it all - it’s just lovely.”

“It’s community spirit at its best.”

And just how long does it take to complete such a mammoth undertaking?

“Well,” Carolyn pauses, “We started in June.”

This isn’t the first time the Oundle Yarn Bombers have taken the town by storm. Earlier this year the industrious group covered the town centre in red, white and blue displays to mark the King’s Coronation.

“We’re getting quite well known for it now,” Carolyn admits.

Indeed, the group’s endeavours are now so well known that people are organising day trips to Oundle just to admire their creations.

“We have people coming here on the bus who are stopping off just to see what we’ve been up to.”

The 58-year-old says seeing the reactions of visitors makes all the effort worthwhile.

“It just puts smiles on the faces of everyone who comes, no matter what their age,” she says, “and people have so much appreciation for the work that’s gone into it.”

So what’s next for the Bombers?

“That’s top secret,” Carolyn says, discreetly; “but it’s going to be very special.”