Annan’s Royal Mail delivery office in Station Road has had a festive buzz as the 24 staff have stepped up a gear for the Christmas rush across Dumfries and Galloway.
The team not only deliver letters, cards and parcels to households and businesses in Annan but also to Eastriggs and Gretna and a number of villages in the wide rural area.
And they were pleased to get a show of support for their year-round hard work – but especially at Christmas – when Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell and his son Oliver, the constituency MSP, maintained a long tradition by making a dawn visit to the facility to wish them well.
The two representatives were shown round by delivery manager Martyn Thompson, who explained that whilst Christmas cards remained important the main growth area for Royal Mail was parcel deliveries.
One enthusiastic postman they met was Eddie Shipley who is originally from Florida, USA, and now lives with his wife Hope and family in Eastriggs.
He said: “I like the job. It suits me very well. It has been good getting to know so many friendly people when I’m out on my deliveries.”
Mr Mundell has been elected six times as MP so has enjoyed plenty of visits to the hub near Annan Railway Station. He said: “Despite the changing landscape in technology and deliveries, Royal Mail and our posties have a special place in communities and our national culture.
“It has always been great to catch up with the local team at Annan, some of whom have been in the job for many years.”
MSP Oliver Mundell said: “We learned during the pandemic how important having a reliable postal network was in a number of ways, such as swiftly delivering test samples and other secure correspondence.
“It has been good to have the opportunity to come along again and keep up-to-date with the postmen and women about their work and any community feedback they have.”