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Posted on23 December 2025

Atlas Translations Celebrates St Albans’ Record-Breaking Postbox Toppers

Sometimes the most unexpected projects bring the greatest joy. Here at Atlas, we spend our days working with words, documents, and serious business translations. But our director, Clare, has been busy championing something completely different: a celebration of St Albans’ incredible community of knitters, crocheters, and crafters.

The result? A beautiful souvenir book that captures 102 amazing postbox toppers from last year’s record-breaking display around our lovely town.


What can we help with today? Call us on +44 (0)1727 812 725 or email us at team@atlas-translations.co.uk – we’re only a call, chat, or email away, and we’re always eager to help!


From Professional Translation to Woolly Celebration

The St Albans postbox topper phenomenon has been growing for years. Ordinary red postboxes have been transformed into works of art that bring smiles to everyone who walks past them. Last year’s display was the biggest yet, with 102 unique toppers created by a team of talented people, affectionately known as “yarnbombers.”

Clare, along with Candy Stuart and Lucy Dronfield, spotted an opportunity to properly celebrate this wonderful community effort. Rather than letting these beautiful creations disappear into memory, they’ve created a full-colour souvenir book that captures every single one of them.

A Book That Celebrates Community Creativity

The St Albans Postboxes 2024 Souvenir Book isn’t just a collection of photos. It’s a proper tribute to the incredible volunteers, makers, sponsors, and behind-the-scenes helpers who bring this joyful tradition to life each December.

Intricate Christmas scenes? Yep! Cheeky comic book characters? Absolutely! Traditional? Festive? Imaginatively unexpected designs? Indeed, you betcha, and indubitably! The book showcases the incredible range of talent in our local community. Each page reminds you why St Albans has become famous for these woolly masterpieces.

The Perfect Guilt-Free Christmas Gift

What makes this book even more special is that it’s not just about celebrating creativity; it’s also about giving back to the community. All profits from book sales go directly to two fantastic local charities.

Gaddesden Place Riding for the Disabled provides therapeutic horse riding experiences for people with disabilities, helping improve physical and mental well-being through connection with horses.

Up on Downs supports people with Down’s syndrome and their families, offering advocacy, support, and opportunities for independence.

This means every copy sold does genuine good in our community. It’s rare to find a Christmas gift that’s beautiful, joyful, locally made, and supports such worthy causes.

Why We’re Proud to Champion This

At Atlas Translations, we’re passionate about communication and community. While our day job involves helping businesses communicate across languages and cultures, we’re equally excited about celebrating the creative ways our local community expresses itself.

The A-Team (back row: Anna, Jim, Alex, and Rhys; front row: Clare, Steffi, Joanna, and Amy)

The idea about this book perfectly captures what we believe in: bringing people together, celebrating local talent, and making sure incredible community efforts get the recognition they deserve.

The fact that it’s also raising money for charities that make a real difference makes us even prouder to be associated with this project.

Perfect for Anyone (and Everyone)

Whether you’re looking for a gift for knitting enthusiasts, St Albans locals, photography lovers, or anyone who enjoys community celebrations, this book hits the mark. It’s colourful, joyful, and guaranteed to make people smile.

Plus, it contains absolutely no spreadsheets, which we think makes it an excellent break from more serious reading!

It’s a Wrap!

Sometimes the most serious businesses do the most joyful things! We’re delighted that Clare, Candy, and Lucy have created something so special for our community.

If you’d like to grab a copy (or several…they make brilliant gifts), you can find all the details at:

www.stalbanspostboxes.org.uk/postboxes-2024-souvenir-book or click directly over to Amazon at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0G5ZY55V2


We’d Love to Hear From You!

At Atlas Translations, we work with businesses across every sector—from legal to life sciences, marketing to medical—to deliver accurate language solutions that are on-brand and culturally relevant.

Whether you need help with a one-off project or ongoing support, we’re here to make things simpler.

You can call us on +44 (0)1727 812 725 or email team@atlas-translations.co.uk. We respond quickly to all enquiries and are always happy to chat about your needs.

During UK working hours, you can also use our Live Chat option (bottom-right corner of the screen). You’ll always be connected with a real person, not a bot!

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