THERE was a festive buzz at Annan’s Royal Mail delivery office this week as the Christmas rush stepped up a gear.
The Station Road postal hub, base for around 24 staff, also serves Eastriggs and Gretna townships together with a number of villages and a wide rural area.
Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell and his son Oliver, the constituency MSP, maintained a long tradition by making a dawn visit to the facility, located next to the railway station.
David, who has been elected six times as MP, 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.”
Oliver 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.”
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, originally from Florida, USA, who 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.”
