Knitter who transforms Edinburgh postboxes is off to “run” the London Marathon

The knitter who creates the colourful toppers for the postbox at the City Chambers is off to London on Friday to power walk the London Marathon.

Margaret MacLeod, a retired secretary who lives in Tranent, is well known for her eye-catching handiwork on the postbox in the quad on the High Street, and also another postbox on Ravelston Dykes.

She spoke to us as she was preparing to travel to London – but not before she had changed over the topper at the City Chambers.

The Rt Hon Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said: “Wishing Margaret the very best as she takes on the London Marathon! From crafting the beautiful topper for our City Chambers post box to constantly challenging herself and raising amazing amounts for WalktheWalk — Margaret is an inspiration to us all.”

The colourful scene which now greets people passing by to be married in the Registrar’s Office is a wedding theme, giving them something to chuckle over, and have their photos taken beside.

Margaret said: “When I retired, I always wanted to do the local postbox in Tranent, just for a bit of fun.

“It just went a bit mad, and now I can’t stop – when I’m not out training, I’m twiddling with a hook.”

She explained that the base for the topper has to be crocheted, not knitted, and admitted the first one she made looked a “bit like a fishing net”. She recently joined a crochet class in Portobello to improve her crafting skills, having taught herself to crochet from YouTube initially, but she has now been taught “to read a pattern properly”. Her colourful toppers are now an important part of her impressive fundraising efforts for cancer charities, and the topper on one of the two postboxes in Tranent which she looks after is a reflection of her power walk coming up this weekend. She is depicted on there almost crossing the finish line.

She has been a dedicated supporter of the charity “Walk the Walk,” which organises the Moonwalk in Edinburgh and elsewhere, and she has participated in numerous charity events in Scotland and elsewhere for almost two decades.

Margaret said: “This is my 19th year. I’ve probably raised about £40,000 over the years.”

Her accomplishments include completing the Edinburgh Moonwalk every year since 2007, the New York Marathon four times, and even walking around a lake in Iceland at midnight wearing a decorated bra – all to raise funds for charity.

The energetic 64-year-old power walks the marathon distance in approximately six hours and said she keeps fit by wild swimming, weights training with a personal trainer and just walking. She is also a member of Haddington Running Club. Two years ago she walked 100 miles of the Camino de Compostela trail with her son, and later this year she will travel to the Netherlands to do The Nijmegen Marches which is a 100 mile military march, again with Walk the Walk.

She revealed her plans for creating new toppers which will feature turtles and toadstools to replace some of her current designs – probably after the marathon.

You can support Margaret in her fundraising here.