Yarn Bombers bring Christmas cheer

The Secret Society of Hertford Crafters have yet again knitted their magic in to the town with a fantastic yarn Christmas Tree in Salisbury Square.

The 10ft tree structure has been constructed by Hertford Town Council and features 40 themed boxes of which 24 will be numbered and opened daily in advent calendar style to unveil crafted scenes. The Mayor of Hertford will open the 12th advent calendar box and other local individuals have been invited to open other advent boxes. 

Each box will display Christmas bespoke designs which have been hand crafted by the Secret Society of Hertford Crafters. The advent boxes will remain a surprise, but the other box scenes include the Nutcracker, a gingerbread family, Christmas carousel, festive gnomes, Christmas kittens, angels, polar bear, skiing scene, winter mice and much more.

Well over 100 dedicated Yarn Bombers have secretly been making the Christmas tree components since August 2019 with their aims of bringing joy to Hertford, engendering community spirit and fundraising for local charities. 

Surrounding the spectacular crafted tree will be a fence that will include a total of 96 crafted toppers, some of which represent the independent shops and businesses in the county town. 

Donations are welcome from visitors towards the chosen charity ‘Herts Young Homeless' which provides services to support vulnerable people with a focus of preventing homelessness. 

The charity offers free services for 16 - 24 year olds who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. They provide information and support as well as emergency accommodation. 

SSOHC will be collecting donations to the charity by having a presence in Salisbury Square and collection tins will be placed in surrounding shops and businesses around the town. 

In addition, donations can be made online via uk.virginmoneygiving.com/YarnBomber.
 
Chairman of Hertford Town Council's Development & Leisure Committee, Councillor Jane Sartin, said: "This is another fantastic initiative by the Secret Society of Hertford Crafters, which Hertford Town Council has been pleased to support. I hope residents and visitors to the town will enjoy seeing the Christmas tree boxes be revealed as Christmas draws closer, and take the opportunity at the same time to shop in Hertford and support the independent and national retailers." 

The Secret Society of Hertford Crafters, said: "SSOHC chose Herts Young Homeless because it is an amazing local charity providing services to support vulnerable young people; this is important all year round but seems to resonate all the more at Christmas. 

Hertford Town Council approached us to see if SSOHC could create a Christmas tree for the town and the partnership formed. 
SSOHC attracts quite a wide age range and a huge range of talents for different crafts - crochet, knitting, embroidery, felting, cross stitch to name a few. We welcome all capabilities and don't mind how much or little time people want to devote to the society."