Last Friday I visited the Kenilworth Delivery Office to see first-hand the operation of delivering Christmas post and to pass on season’s greetings to staff. When I arrived at the local office at 7AM staff were already hard at work. As you might imagine, there was a flurry of activity – with different areas of the large open plan office sorting a myriad of letters and parcels for delivery across the local area.
Royal Mail handles more than one billion parcels and 16 billion letters a year and the festive season is its busiest period. Huge numbers of Christmas cards are still being exchanged even in this digital age but, in recent years, there has been a large increase in the number of parcels being sent – particularly due to internet shopping. As a result, Christmas packages have been arriving for onward transfer from the beginning of November and the ‘Christmas rush’ is essentially getting earlier each year.
2016 commemorates 500 years since Henry VIII knighted Brian Tuke, the first Master of the Posts, in 1516. The knighting of Brian Tuke was the catalyst for the creation of the Royal Mail we know today. Although much has changed since sixteenth century Tudor England, Royal Mail’s people have been a constant presence. Indeed, it is the people that are the heart of this company. During my visit, I enjoyed meeting postmen and postwomen of all ages. Many had worked with Royal Mail for many years, yet still had an infectious enthusiasm for what they did. I spent time sorting envelopes with two of them who, between them, had worked for Royal Mail for in excess of 45 years. With a workforce of more than 140,000 people, the company is one of the UK’s largest employers.
As Royal Mail’s 500th anniversary draws to a close, Christmas 2017 provides an opportunity to reflect on the centuries of hard work of postal staff who deliver to every corner of the UK. I thank them for the extraordinary lengths they go to in order to ensure Christmas cards and presents are delivered on time, and for all that they do all year-round.