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David Barton with a post box.
A prominent campaigner for the heritage of Southport has written to Royal Mail
requesting a Parcel Post Box for the town to better support residents and businesses during and long after the international COVID-19 Pandemic.
David Barton, former Councillor for the Dukes Ward has said his focus has been, and remains, the restoration of Southport and its reclamation of its “Classic Resort” status.
Mr. Barton believes his proposal would be of great benefit to the local area on the basis that the nearest Parcel Post Box is up to 40 minutes away by car heading North to Preston; East to Ormskirk and South to Crosby. This therefore presently poses a concern for discerning people as to raising their susceptibility to the virus through venturing outdoors during intermittent lockdowns.
In 1516 King Henry VIII Knighted Brian Tuke, the First Master of the Posts, whose
influence and authority to establish key postal towns across the nation led to the
building of a highly successful formalized postal network that is still in operation
today. The characteristic red pillar boxes that were first introduced in 1852, bearing Latin initials delineating the Monarch in power at that time, remain a key mainstay of communities up and down the land.
Mr. Barton previously secured an ongoing commitment from Royal Mail in 2016 for an entire restoration of all 101 Southport Post Boxes that coincided with its 500th Anniversary that year. This has been well received locally by many residents across Churchtown, Crossens, Southport Town Centre, Birkdale, Ainsdale, Kew and Blowick.
Mr Barton says: “By accounting for the ongoing international pandemic lasting well into the foreseeable future, I truly believe from my own observation of intermittent lockdowns to date that our town still has the real prospect of establishing itself as one of commerce and enterprise for people of all ages and denominations, should it be given as much opportunity to do so.“
“By introducing the town’s first ever Parcel Post Box this will have bountiful
advantages for everyone, notably businesses that trade goods and documents en
masse across various sectors ranging from hospitality to service professionals. By
learning to adapt to the pandemic in as conducive a way as possible, this can also
lessen the emotional impact on friends and families keeping in touch around the
year, such as during Birthdays and other special milestones.”
He says: “If successful, this could very well lead to more Parcel Post Boxes being established across our seaside town and Borough, but naturally as per my original request, I would expect these to be in-keeping with the town’s signature Victorian identity.”
“Other welcome mid and long-term advantages that may be derived from such an
innovative scheme would be the encouragement of children to hone their literacy
skills through a new incentive to write to close ones for the remainder of 2020 into
2021 and beyond, alongside relieving strain on local Post offices through a literal
unburdening of their workload.”
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