VISITORS to a Gwent town centre will be greeted by colourful ‘yarn bombs’ after the community came together to bring cheer.

It began with resident Gill Hollister – an avid crocheter – who was inspired by a holiday in Pembrokeshire earlier this year.

The first piece of yarn art Ms Hollister created was a post box topper with a poppy design to celebrate Remembrance Day on November 11.

South Wales Argus:

The poppy post box topper

“I went on holiday to Pembrokeshire in June, and we went to Haverfordwest and saw the designs they had on display – all made of yarn," she said.

"I found out that there was a Haverfordwest Yarn Bombers group and they put stuff up all over and I was mesmerised by it.

“During the first lockdown when there was a lot about rainbows and the NHS, I started making little rainbows with hooks to be hung in places. I am a volunteer with Risca CV19 UK and as I wasn’t doing visits, I asked Dawn (Derraven, organiser of the volunteer group) if they would be useful for people they are helping.

“She took around a hundred of them and they put them in with deliveries they were making. I joined the Random Acts of Crochet Kindness and could see people were making items and putting them in the community and thought it would be nice to do here.”

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She began leaving little items and kind notes around the Risca area, including along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal for people to find.

After posting some of the images of the Haverfordwest yarn bombing on local community groups, she was met with responses of how lovely it was and decided to do it for Risca.

Ms Hollister has since set up a Risca Yarn Bombers group which has 100 members and they are beginning work on some Christmas decorations for the town – after gaining permission from the council to decorate the park fence with some of their decorations in the run up to Christmas.