Volunteers have put a 3D-printed Victorian post box in Vale Park, New Brighton. Its crocheted topper changes each month, and this month's marks Remembrance.

Vale Park in New Brighton has a new attraction: a replica Victorian post box with a hand-crocheted topper that will change every month. The park’s volunteer group unveiled it with Wirral Council, which announced it on Friday 6 November (New Victorian post box brings heritage charm to Vale Park, Wirral View).

The current topper marks Remembrance. It shows a soldier in a First World War helmet above the words “Lest we forget”, ringed with red poppies, with more poppies trailing down the side of the box. The first design was for Halloween.

What the volunteers have made

According to the council’s announcement:

  • the post box was made on a 3D printer
  • a volunteer named Julie, a keen knitter, makes the toppers
  • each topper is swapped once a month for a seasonal event or community occasion
  • the box stands behind a fence and is covered by CCTV

The protection matters. Julie used to make toppers for a post box on Seabank Road, but some of them were vandalised. She said the fence and the cameras in Vale Park gave her the confidence to start again.

“We knew it would bring a lot of enjoyment to visitors and the response so far has been fantastic,” she said.

The red replica post box in Vale Park with a crocheted soldier and poppy topper, beside a railing hung with large red poppies
The post box beside the path in Vale Park, with poppies on the railings behind it. Photo: Wirral Council, via Wirral View

Who is behind it

Vale Park Volunteers 2026 formed earlier this year. The group helped organise the celebrations for the park bandstand’s 100th anniversary, the council said, and worked with council officers so the post box could be put somewhere the public can see it safely.

The volunteers marked the unveiling with a small gathering around the box. Diane, from the group, said it gives “a taste of what is to come in the park”.

“We have lots more plans for Vale Park,” she said. “Any money we raise will be reinvested back into the park and used to benefit the community.”

The group has not said yet what those plans are.

What it means for you

The post box sits alongside the park’s Fairy Garden and Robot Village, so it is one more thing to look for on a walk through Vale Park with children. The Remembrance topper is in place now, and the volunteers plan a new design each month.

A parkrun through Vale Park is also being set up: see our page on the New Brighton parkrun. For more places to take children, see our guide to Wirral playgrounds, and for Sunday’s services across the borough, see Remembrance Sunday in Wirral.