Grumpy joggers

As part of a new series of blogs straight from the frontline, we’ll be bringing you stories from our people doing their bit right across the operation on how things have changed during the ongoing crisis.

Today, we hear from Bradford postman, musician and writer, Chris Robbins.

‘Well, well, well…I bet you won’t be able to guess what I’m here to talk about today…

Yep, you guessed it. It’s the unprecedented little ditty currently consuming our world – the coronavirus. I’m sure that, if you’re reading this as an employee of Royal Mail, you’ve been affected by it. I’m sure too that, if you’re reading this as a human being, you’ve also been affected by it. It’s really messing things up, right?

‘We’re key-workers, us posties. That means that our kids get to go to school; it means that our place of work hasn’t been shut down; it means that we provide an essential service to the people of the United Kingdom – but the people of the UK are all acting so weird.

‘Quite rightly, most of our customers, and the country, are doing their bit to avoid contact with others; but aren’t some people going a bit OTT? I was delivering down a street the other day and I noticed a jogger approaching in the distance. He’d obviously noticed me too and, whilst out on his government-endorsed jog, he ran into oncoming traffic to avoid my two-metre vicinity, scowling at me as if I had just…well, never mind.

‘People are scared. I delivered to a McColl’s and came across a lady doing her shop – she was sadly, terrified. Literally chatting to herself, terrified; informing the world of how scared she was. Her hands were gripping the bar of the trolley so tightly. It was like she was performing her final shop.

‘On the flip side, the weather has been nice, recently. Apart from the grumpy joggers and the distressed shoppers, the community is showing a tenacious spirit amidst these dark times. Everyone has been out in their garden drinking tea, smiling, laughing, chatting, and well-wishing their postman. It’s very nice to see.’