ROYAL MAIL LOOKS FOR 1st CLASS WESTERN ISLES POSTIES

People in the Western Isles area are being urged to nominate their postmen
and women for a special Royal Mail award.

Royal Mail is inviting it’s customers in the HS postcode area to nominate
postmen and women who are the local heroes in their community for a 1st
Class People Award.

Royal Mail would like to hear your stories of posties who have gone the
extra mile for their customers as part of its annual 1st Class People
Awards, which recognises people who are charity fundraisers in their spare
time, or have performed a public-spirited act or dealt with an emergency
while doing their deliveries.

Anyone who nominates their local postie for the award will also have the
chance of winning a £1000 holiday in a prize draw.

Last year Scots postman Iain MacDonald from Cowdenbeath Delivery Office was
the National winner of the First Class People awards 2009 for the Bravery
category.

Iain was nominated for the Bravery award by his Royal Mail
colleagues, for the outstanding commitment to the Territorial Army.

During a tour of duty he was injured when a rocket propelled grenade exploded and
he was hit by shrapnel, but he returned to his post on the front line to
complete his service.

Ian McKay, Director of Scottish Affairs, said: “As our people make daily
deliveries, to all 2.5 million addresses in Scotland, they are often first
at the scene in house fires, road accidents, and robberies and they
instinctively get involved.

“Earlier this year our postmen and women faced extreme weather conditions,
and where humanly possible, the mail got through. Our people frequently go
to the aid of customers in distress, and because they visit the same
neighbourhood on a daily basis will notice when an old person isn’t around,
and can raise the alarm, and this is particularly important in bad weather.

“The nomination process also runs internally but some of our people are
very modest about their good deeds, so we’d like customers to tell us about
them.”

The Scottish winner of the First Class People award for Community
Involvement was postman Hugh McBean, from Nairn Delivery Office. Hugh was
nominated for the Community Involvement award for providing respite for
children with special needs and also emergency foster care through Children
of Families in Crisis.

Bonnyrigg postie, Jim Ralston, was named the Scottish winner of the First
Class People Award for Charity Fundraising. Jim was nominated for his
extraordinary work raising an astonishing £80.000 for the charity Project
Stedfast, which is building a school for children in a rural area of Kenya.

Ian McKay said: “It is these people, who help local people with their acts
of kindness, or voluntary work that we want to hear about, as well as the
incredible feats of bravery our postmen and women perform each year.”

There is over £30,000 in prize money to be won and every postman or woman
who is short listed receives £100 – and every customer who sends in a
nomination will have their name entered into a prize draw to win £1000 in
holiday vouchers.

Customers should write to Royal Mail explaining what makes their postman or
woman special and nominations should be sent to: 1st Class People Awards,
Royal Mail , 1st Floor, Tallents House, 21 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh,
EH12 9PB, or emailed to Jennifer.bird@royalmail.com giving as much
information as possible about the postman or woman.

It doesn’t matter if customers don’t know the postman or woman’s name –
Royal Mail will be able to identify him or her from the delivery round from
the delivery address and postcode and a brief description.

Closing date for nominations is Friday 19 March 2010 and the customer prize
draw will take place on Monday 22 March. The winner will be contacted
direct, so customers should remember to include contact details with their
nomination.

Hebrides Today brings you the latest news from the Western Isles