THE campaign to save Byfleet Fire Station has a colourful new recruit – an eye-catching knitted fireman and replica fire station in the form of a postbox topper.

A mystery yarn bomb, a vibrant form of street art, has “Save Our Fire Station” around its base and was placed last week on a postbox along the village’s High Road.

Villagers are seeking to buy and restore the old Byfleet Fire Station and convert the Grade II-listed landmark into a community hub.

They have formed a trust, with an initial fundraising target of £300,00 for the project – seeking £250,000 from Surrey County Council via its Your Fund initiative and £50,000 through crowd funding.

The building is owned by Surrey County Council, whose fire brigade stationed an engine there until 1963.

Krista Rooney, a Byfleet Fire Station trustee, said: “The trust is very grateful to the anonymous yarn knitters.

“The amount of work that has gone into this topper is incredible and I urge everyone to pop down and have a look.

“The campaign to save the fire station is continuing and the GoFundMe page now stands at an amazing £34,000,  which is a huge achievement. We would like to thank everyone who has donated, helped and supported our campaign.” 

Amanda Boote, ward and county councillor for Byfleet and West Byfleet, added: “Yarn bombing is a fabulous form of art and we are so grateful to whoever has created this amazing piece for our local postbox.

“It will help to raise awareness for our campaign to save a much-loved and unique building in our Victorian Fire Station.

“I would like to thank the people behind this as they are clearly both extremely talented and thoughtful.”

The topper also carries a typed message encouraging passers-by to become engaged in the campaign.

“Lots of hours have gone into making this for our local community,” it says. “If it makes you smile, if you’re feeling generous…” then notes the GoFundMe website address.

FOR more information on the campaign or to donate, visit gofundme.com and search Save Byfleet Fire Station.