Christine Grahame MSP visits Royal Mail Galashiels depot

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.bordertelegraph.com/news/25 ... els-depot/

It’s not a good idea at the beginning of a meeting to ask your host why you are there but neither I nor Andrew Ebner, manager at the Royal Mail sorting office in Galashiels, were none too sure.

We had a laugh about that. Turns out his head office had suggested local politicians visit, and I was already in Gala that day for other meetings so I had said “yes”.

I have already been there more than once just before Christmas to see the whole operation.

That then was an early start and we had no bacon rolls on arrival. This time it was at a decent hour and Andrew was good enough, after some encouragement, to present me with a coffee.

Anyway, that aside it was a valuable meeting given the radical changes being proposed for Royal Mail deliveries and the cost of postage stamps (that’s the Post Office - a quite separate but close partner).

Andrew explained that in 2006 UK-wide, 20 billion letters were being delivered annually. That’s now down to 7 billion and continues to decrease.

We all know why. Even posting cards for special celebrations is on the downward with e-cards and businesses such as Moonpig in the frame.

Covid was the accelerator for all of this.

How many of us now shop online, bank online, chat to family and friends on Teams or WhatsApp?

But snail-mail (friendly soubriquet) as opposed to e-mail is still very much required. We don’t all have an email address.

Hospital appointments can be sent by text but many are by letter. The NHS, Scottish Borders Council and housing associations all require the post.

Indeed, if Network Rail is working on the railway near houses, I believe letters are sent to warn of noise and so on.

HMRC letters always raise your blood pressure even before they are opened. There is the DWP telling you what your state pension will be.

There is the increasing unsolicited mail: the pizza and landscape gardener fliers advertising for business and the manifestoes, the annual reports from existing and aspiring politicians.

But with that 13 billion UK drop in mailings, these are small beer. The upside of our online habits is parcels, and while there are other commercial competitors, the Royal Mail knows that’s where business lies.

There are advantages of course in your local postie being the carrier because he/she knows their 'walk' inside out.

If a parcel is wrongly addressed, the postie may very well know what the correct address is - but of course will check.

What I didn’t know is that a letter can’t be delivered after 4.30pm, though that does not apply to parcels.

Despite the changes to come in to second class deliveries, first class will remain unchanged.

Back to the posties I met, in their summer uniform shorts with tanned legs, fit as fleas, no need for the gym for them, walking, some around 4 miles a day.

They know their patch. They have a friendly word or two often with someone who sees or speaks to no-one else all day.

I came away really glad I had that meeting even if at the beginning neither Andrew nor I knew why I was there.

500 years of the Royal Mail and I wish it and the Gala team well in the years ahead.

[ted_e_bear]

"Back to the posties I met, in their summer uniform shorts with tanned legs, fit as fleas, no need for the gym for them, walking, some around 4 miles a day."

[SkiSunday]

"Back to the posties I met, in their summer uniform shorts with tanned legs, fit as fleas, no need for the gym for them, walking, some around 4 miles a day."

500 years of Mail Centres

[BenacreNick]

Surely she meant 14 miles ?

[pieoftheday]

4 miles! I'd sign for one of those, 2hrs tops with packets and large stuff what's that about can't deliver letters after 4.30pm?

[Mr Rush]

Covid was the accelerator for all of this.

Covid was the pretext for all of this.