Textile artist's 260 tea towels lost in the post

A textile artist has said seven years' worth of her work has gone missing in the post, days before a planned exhibit at an arts festival.

Holly Searle, from Ruislip, sent her entire collection of 260 tea towels via a 48-hour Parcelforce delivery on 22 June for her show at Alton Arts Festival in Hampshire this weekend.

However, the package has not arrived. Tracking information shows it stalled at a depot shortly after dispatch. Royal Mail has apologised and says it is investigating but has so far been unable to locate the box.

She said her artwork was her "livelihood" and the loss was "irreplaceable" having started her Subverted Tea Towel Series project in 2020.

Searle has said she uses vintage textiles as a base for written commentary, combining serious themes with humour.

She told BBC London: "They were shown at Alexander Palace a couple of years ago in the main atrium as you went in which was just extraordinary to see this bank of colours as you came in."

The idea emerged after she began sourcing old tea towels online and using them as canvases for her work.

"I try and make people think once and then twice when they look," she said.

She said she spends a significant amount of time searching for unusual pieces, building a collection that reflects a wide range of subjects.

She had been due to host a workshop at the festival on Saturday, which she described as a major community event for the town featuring poetry, music and comedy.

The problem became apparent when tracking updates stopped, showing the parcel stuck in one location for several days.

"They can't locate it. It looks like it's been scanned in but it's not been scanned out," Searle said.

While Royal Mail continues its investigation, she feels the response has not matched the significance of the loss.

"I guess they try and do as much as they can, but I I don't feel like people are being as helpful as they could be... but then it's really important to me. It's not as important to them."

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We are sorry to hear of Ms Searle's experience. We are actively working to discover the whereabouts of this important parcel."

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