I suppose it was only a matter of time. Even so, the first Horizon IT Inquiry-themed post box topper to materialise in the UK is quite the talking point.

The well-executed tableau appeared overnight last night. It immortalises a crucial week of the Inquiry in May this year, when Lead Counsel Jason Beer KC questioned former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells over three days.

The topper has been placed over the post box sited outside the Morrisons/Post Office in the splendidly-named Shropshire village of Pant. It was spotted by correspondent Richard Banks, who supplied all the photos.

Beer is depicted standing at a lectern which features a card with his name on it, a stand for his papers and a microphone. Vennells is seated at a desk with a name card, a microphone and what looks like reference papers. The top sheet carries the title “Horizon”.

Mr Banks tells me he is “unable” to say who made the topper, but is reliably informed it was created with “a mixture of both knitting and crochet”.

I think it is inspired. I just hope someone doesn’t nick it. If you are the genius behind this work, please get in touch via the contact form on this website. Anonymity is guaranteed.

If you would like to read more about what happened when Jason Beer met Paula Vennells (or check to see just how accurate the Pant Topper Showstopper actually is), you can read the following on this website:

Vennells Day 1: the Five Things we learned
Vennells Day 2: Dispatches from the Bunker
Vennells Day 2: Cover-up finally acknowledged
Paula Vennells and Mark Davies: Led by the (brown) nose

You can also watch Vennells’ three day evidence session in its entirety (whilst reading along with the transcripts) on the Inquiry website, starting here.

Please note the photos on this blog post are all copyright Richard Banks.

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