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Royal Mail workers are set to take four days of industrial action over the next two months. Among those affected by the planned strikes is Tom Yendell, a disabled artist. Tom was born without any arms due to a disease called Thalidomide, he now represents 30 disabled artists who create paintings using their mouths and feet.
They form a group known as the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists and Tom sits on the board, many of the artists live in London. He explained that Christmas for them this year is looking bleak. Stamp prices, strikes, and the cost of living crisis are just a few of the many problems affecting the painters.
These struggles have further been intensified with the latest news that postal workers will strike. The festive period is usually a time that business booms but Tom explains that this ‘joyous period’ is lacking the same sentiment as years gone by. Explaining, Tom said: “The cost of living crisis is affecting everyone but the strikes of Royal Mail are coming at a bad time for us.
READ MORE: ‘I was an addict sleeping rough on the London Underground. Now I’m an artist earning six-figures for my work’
(Image: MFPA)
“Myself and fellow artists are severely disabled, we gain most of our income during the Christmas period through painting cards and wrapping paper. All of our art and personalised festive pieces are delivered by Royal Mail.
“There’s a lot of our artists where it is really having an impact on their lives. It is the same as the rest of the country, it’s the cost of heating our homes, electricity, and food. A lot of the artists, a lot of them, are really struggling.
“The strikes mean we won’t get cards to people on time and it does a lot to harm us in the future if people can’t get their cards on time or it takes ages for them to arrive. It’s not just the strikes though but also the stamp prices.”
Tom explained that the cost of stamps is also impacting business. First-class stamps went up by 10p in April and although it doesn’t seem a huge amount, Tom says it is affecting sales.
He explained that now the stamps are 95p, people who want to send Christmas cards will have to pay a big cost, even if they are just sending them to 5-10 people.
(Image: MFPA)
Tom believes that the rise in prices of energy, food, and bills, is making it too expensive to think of sending cards, letters, or other Christmas gifts. As a result, fewer orders are being made and the artists are struggling to survive.
Continuing Tom said: “It’s become bad because if you had ten friends you want to send a card to you could be paying out close to £10 to sell them.
“Some people will have to make a decision whether to send Christmas cards or put food on the table. It’s so sad that Christmas is supposed to be a joyous part of the year and Christmas cards come into that.
“It’s a worrying time because as artists we are reliant on the goodwill of people. I’m worried for our businesses because at the moment things are tough so good will or not, people just can’t afford certain things.”
Tom is worried about the future but knows the resilience that his artist have shown in the past. Through the coronavirus, Brexit, and now the cost of living crisis, they have been able to adapt.
Finishing, he said: “Our artists are proud to make a living through painting. They often don’t get out much and painting gives them reasons to get up in the morning.
“A lot of our artists have broken their necks or been born with defects. It’s hard. Business is struggling but this is all that we know. We carry on.”
Tom is hopeful but realistic about the future. He believes they will find a way to survive but says that the struggle ‘is real’. A selection of the artwork Tom and his fellow painters create can be seen here.
Royal Mail workers plan to strike on four dates: Thursday 24 and Friday 25 November and November 30, December 1, 2022. The dates are not set in stone and if negotiations are successful these dates could follow the two previous strikes which were called off.
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