Who We Are – Laura
She might hail from the small county town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, but that hasn't stopped Pontypridd postwoman Laura Orgill winning a legion of TikTok fans.
The video-sharing app is a recent phenomenon. From ageing rock stars to teenage influencers, everyone wants to take part, including Laura, who after raising more than £7,000 for Cancer Research UK, has become a star in her own right, having now amassed nine million likes and 350K followers!
Our Who We Are campaign celebrates our key workers - connecting communities, before and during the Covid-19 pandemic – and beyond as well. We’re recognising people at the heart of our business, across the pipeline, as they describe who they are in their own words.
We want to receive nominations from around the Group for deserving colleagues to be recognised in this way. Send yours to communications@royalmail.com.
Laura began posting hilarious videos on the social media platform on her delivery rounds during the first national lockdown to help cheer up the local community. Since then, her popularity has sky-rocketed with fans around the world enjoying her tongue in cheek videos during her daily rounds.
Surprised and delighted by the reaction, Laura wanted to put her newly found fame to good use by taking part in A Very 2020 Race for Life, a special virtual version of the charity’s Race for Life events to help raise money for lifesaving research.
In September, Laura swapped her uniform for a red postbox costume and ran the 5k distance around the steep Rhondda hills with her partner Georgia to help Cancer Research UK boost its funds during a local lockdown in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Race for Life events across Wales and the UK including Cardiff, and Swansea were cancelled this year to protect the country’s health during the Covid-19 outbreak and as a result, the charity is expecting a staggering £160 million drop in income in the year ahead with a £44 million cut to life-saving research funding already.
‘Cancer touches so many lives,’ said Laura. ‘Not one person hasn’t been affected by the disease either themselves or a family member and it’s devastating to think about how the loss of money will impact cancer patients.
When asked how she felt about her TikTok stardom, Laura said: ‘I really enjoy making people smile and laugh and I started doing all this to cheer people up whilst they couldn’t go out and see their friends and family.
‘I’m not surprised by the reaction of people in Wales because there’s always such a great community spirit, but I am shocked to have so many fans around the world.
‘I love my job, I enjoy meeting people and seeing what’s going on in the local community. I think lockdown made me realise how much people value receiving post, I got thank you cards and chocolates, it can really lift people’s spirits particularly when they had to stay home.’
Press play to watch our special RMtv Extra programme on our ‘TikTok superstar.’
