A team of postal workers in Newcastle have swapped their uniforms in for their best fancy dress costumes in a show of support front line staff.
Princesses, superheroes, and even a postbox have been spotted delivering post to homes in Gosforth, Fawdon and Wideopen.
And as well as spreading happiness in communities during lockdown, the Gosforth Royal Mail team have raised over £2,000 for the NHS.
Postman Gareth Evans, who organised the fundraiser, said: “There’s a lot of people at home at the moment so they’re looking out for us every day because it’s something different for them.
“Some streets have WhatsApp groups and they’ve been messaging the neighbours when they spot us to say that we’re on our way so they can wave at the window – it’s been received really well.”
The 44-year-old, from North Shields, originally planned to dress up for his shift for one day to receive sponsors from his colleagues, in the hope of reaching a fundraising target of £100.
But following the fantastic reaction from staff and local residents, Gareth decided to continue to show up for his shift in fancy dress.
He dug out an array of novelty outfits that his wife had accumulated from hen parties in recent years, including dresses and hairbands, and he is now in his third week of dress up deliveries.
Gareth said: “I’ve been delivering post dressed as a lady a few times now, and today I’m going out dressed as a princess.
“Those outfits tend to receive a lot of toots from people passing in vans and cars as I walk down the Great North Road in Gosforth.”
Now, 15 willing team members at the Royal Mail depot in Gosforth have agreed to get involved, which has sparked an incredible increase in donations from the community via their Just Giving page.
One street, where Gareth delivers post regularly, also decided to show their appreciation by clapping from their doorstep when Gareth entered the street.
He said: “It was amazing to see people clapping for me as I was doing my rounds.
“I felt like crying when I was walking through the street –it was lovely to see.”
Gareth adds: “We’re living through difficult times at the moment, but this helped to raise the spirits of the team, as well as our customers.
“It’s great to be able to give something to the NHS too as they’re doing an amazing job and saving lives everyday – it’s good that we can show how much we appreciate them.”
