Fancy dress for success
Colleagues in Halifax decided to deliver some cheer alongside the post when they held a mass fancy-dress day.
The idea was one of many those working at our delivery office on Gaol Lane have come up with to spread some positivity across the town during the ongoing lockdown.
Delivery office manager Dean Cotton said: ‘The team wanted to thank the nurses by raising some money for them, and also raise a bit of morale around the community which they serve daily.
‘We’ve had a lot of customers thanking us for the job we’re doing and kids waving when they see us. We just wanted to lighten the mood a little bit. We’re fully engaged with what we’re doing. It’s a difficult job at the moment, but we’re fully on board with serving the community we’re in.
‘We did a sweepstake on the Grand National, we’ve got a couple of guys that are going to do sponsored head shaves, and we’ll be doing a pyjama day as well.’
Costumes on show on the day included Batman, a postbox, cowboys, a leprechauns, a Frenchman, Mario and Luigi, 118 runners, elves, Pikachu, clowns, Frankenstein, a cavalier, Buzz Lightyear, a pirate, a prisoner, Minnie Mouse, hippies, Supermen, sailors, Darth Vader, jockeys, goths, Hi de Hi hosts, punks, a lion, a monk and a couple of nuns. Even Rambo made an appearance.
Colleagues plan to buy gift vouchers with the money they raised to give to the nurses queueing up outside the Marks and Spencers store, opposite the delivery office, during the NHS priority hour.
Postman Brad Lehmann, who dressed in a Hi de Hi uniform, said: ‘It was absolutely amazing. Customers were donating money and gifts and their spirits were brilliant. Loads of children had drawn pictures for us and were waving from their windows. All of us have been overwhelmed with the support we’ve seen.
‘The atmosphere in the office has been excellent as everyone had a smile on their faces.’
Minnie Mouse aka postwoman, Toni Berry, said: ‘It was absolutely brilliant from start to finish. Everyone was in super-high spirits. The customers have been amazing, clapping, beeping, waving, cheering, and donating money. And there were so many kids out happy to see us too. It’s been so nice.
‘Speaking on behalf of everyone at Halifax Delivery Office, we’d like to say a massive thanks to the NHS for the hard work they are putting in at this incredibly tough time when all anyone wants to do is be at home, safe with their families.’
‘We’ve had to change quite a lot of the ways we’re working,’ said Dean. ‘There’s 150 of us here, but it’s quite a cramped unit, so we’ve had to stagger our shift patterns. ‘It’s obviously been a big change for the team. They’re very sociable and they’re finding it hard to be two metres apart. Some people are getting the bus out and then meeting the van and filling their bags up from the van so they’re never working within two metres of each other. Others have changed shift patterns so we can use the van twice in a day. But everyone’s been so flexible and so good about it.
‘The public support has been brilliant, people are making us posters and leaving gifts on the doorstep. The atmosphere in Halifax is really positive and we’re just trying to break the monotony a bit and raise some funds and cheer some people up in the process.’
