How one woman is stitching joy into her community
On a sunny Friday morning, Wood Street, in Upper Walthamstow, doesn’t offer much of a fuss. The air is clean, the streets are quiet with a car or two slowly passing by. But mounted just in front of the entrance to the post office is a red post box.
From a distance, it presents nothing out of the ordinary. But up-close sits a rather decorative element – a crocheted topper depicting three brown dolls: one of a woman in costume holding a Notting Hill Carnival sign, one of British nurse Mary Seacole and the third of American civil rights activist Rosa Parks.
Celia Berry, a 16-year resident of Walthamstow, placed the topper on the post box a few days into October to celebrate Black History Month.
A passerby stops to snap a photo of the creation before continuing on her way, whilst the artist hides in plain sight, witnessing the admiration of her work, but preferring not to be acknowledged.
“I just enjoy crocheting,” says Ceals, as she is affectionately called.
Two and a half years ago, Ceals started outfitting post boxes around Upper Walthamstow without anyone noticing her.
“I did the one around the corner from me, and then I’ve got a friend who’s one of the councillors for Upper Walthamstow and she challenged me to do one for each of the seven post boxes in the Upper Walthamstow ward,” she says.
Today, that number has grown to over 20.
A manager of a local community centre, Ceals says she had always been a knitter, but that five years ago, she started crocheting and found that it worked much better for forming shapes and toys, and that above all, she just loved doing it.
“I’ve got three teenage boys now and they don’t have a lot of use for crocheted toys, so I thought, why not stick it on a post box.”
Just under a half a mile away are two more toppers – one of mythical creatures including the phoenix, unicorn, and dragon, with a gryphon at the centre, and the other of a colourful marching band of ducks called “The Quackson 5”.
Over time, more toppers started popping up, leading residents to post in a community Facebook group photos and compliments such as “how lovely – soft power” and “love this … whomever makes them, thank you” for an artist whose identity was still a mystery.
On how she chooses what to make, Ceals says it bounces between others’ suggestions and whatever she fancies.
One such idea was a beach-themed topper suggested by the students at Thorpe Hill Primary School which sits just outside the school on Hale End Road.
As for her favourite piece, to date – “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, which is based on the 1969 children’s picture book.
But just as quickly as Ceals puts up the toppers, are a few stolen, forcing her to attach notes that ask to "leave them here for people to enjoy another day".
“There was quite a funny one I did up by the forest that was a big octopus and that got stolen, but then all the neighbours got together and managed to hunt it down and got it back off the person who had stolen it,” she says with a chuckle. “And [that person] had to apologize, then that one got put back on, and was stolen again. But, you know, can’t have everything.”
Yet, despite her frustration after crafting such intricate pieces, Ceals remains motivated to keep making more.
She says she already has a few Christmas toppers in mind, and that she plans to replace "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" with a butterfly.
As word continued to spread, Ceals found herself nominated both last year and this year for the Pride of Waltham Forest Awards.
And although she is awaiting the outcome of this year's in December, she recently received a letter from an eight-year-old girl who thanked her for displaying a brown trapeze artist who "looks just like me".
“That is why I do it," Ceals says.
“It’s nice to make people smile. World’s a bit tricky at the moment – get a few smiles out of people and you’re a winner.”
