COLIN BEATTIE MSP THANKS LOCAL POSTMEN AND WOMEN AS THEY GEAR UP TO DELIVER A FIRST CLASS CHRISTMAS

• Colin Beattie MSP passed on early Christmas greetings to postmen and women at Musselburgh Delivery Office
• Christmas is Royal Mail’s busiest time of the year and Mr Beattie saw the hard work and dedication of local postal workers to sort and deliver festive parcels, cards and letters
• The last recommended posting dates for Christmas are:  Second Class – Tuesday 18 December, First Class- Thursday 20 December and Special Delivery -  Saturday 22 December

Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, visited Musselburgh Delivery Office to see first-hand the operation of delivering Christmas post and to pass on early Season’s Greetings to its dedicated, hardworking staff.
Mr Beattie was shown around the office by Delivery Office Manager and was introduced to the postmen and women, who will be pulling out all the stops to sort and deliver mail in East Lothian in the forthcoming busy Christmas period.
The Festive Season is Royal Mail’s busiest period, as millions of people shop online for gifts as well as sending Christmas cards and parcels. Royal Mail also plays a key role in e-commerce for many businesses sending goods to customers throughout Christmas shopping season.
Colin Beattie MSP said: “At no other time is the hard work and dedication of postmen and women clearer than during the festive period. There is a huge amount of effort and dedication that goes into delivering a first class Christmas all over the country.
“It was great to meet the team here at the Musselburgh office and thank them for the extraordinary lengths they will go to ensure Christmas parcels and cards are delivered to loved ones on time, as well as thanking them for delivering our mail services all through the year, in all weathers.”
Rab Cull, Royal Mail Delivery Office Manager, said: “Our postmen and women will be working extremely hard to deliver Christmas parcels, cards, letters and parcels to people in East Lothian. We are grateful that Mr Beattie visited the office to see our operation and to support the team.
“We’d like to remind our customers to post early this Christmas and to ensure all their mail is posted by the recommended dates, so that friends and family can enjoy their Christmas greetings and parcels. If everyone uses the postcode on every item of mail, this also helps us greatly in the job that we do at this very busy time.”
Customers do not need to travel to a Royal Mail Delivery office to pick up parcels if they can’t or do not want to. They can arrange a redelivery free of charge on a day that is convenient for them (including Saturdays), or Royal Mail can deliver the item to a different address within the same postcode area. This service can be arranged by calling the number on the “Something for You” card we leave or by visiting our website at www.royalmail.com/redelivery.
 
Royal Mail can also now leave many mail items with a neighbour* if customers are not at home when we attempt delivery. Customers can nominate a dedicated neighbour to take in their parcels by filling in a form at their delivery office.
 
The last recommend posting dates for Christmas are:
Second Class – Tuesday 18 December 2018
First Class – Thursday 20 December 2018
Special Delivery – Saturday 22 December 2018
 
Customers can also help Royal Mail ensure that all their letters, cards and parcels are delivered as quickly and efficiently as possible by taking a few easy steps:

• Post early – Avoid disappointment by posting your cards and parcels early. 
• Use the postcode – A clearly addressed card or parcel, with a postcode, and return address on the back of the envelope, will ensure quick and efficient delivery.
• Use Special Delivery – For valuable and important packages and parcels guarantee delivery with Royal Mail’s Special Delivery, which means your gift is tracked, traced and insured against loss.
• Wrap parcels well and always give a return address
• For more information about Royal Mail’s last recommended posting dates, please visit: https://www.royalmail.com/greetings or call 03457 740 740.