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Treacherous weather conditions caused widespread ice across parts of Devon yesterday resulting in some postal workers being told to abandon rounds and go home for their own safety. It meant many people did not receive letters or parcels on Saturday, December 17, but to help with the backlog during the busiest time of the year, some dedicated posties have decided to go out on this morning to post special deliveries and important parcels.
Among them is popular Cranbrook postman Adam Prowse, fondly known as ‘the dancing postman’ and for donning a T-rex costume for charity. The dad of two works seven days a week as his wife Amy is currently being treated for cancer so is unable to work.
Yesterday, the 42-year-old had a rare day off and says that as soon as he stepped outside his house in Cranbrook he was shocked by how bad conditions were. He recalled: “I have never seen anything like it before in Cranbrook; it was just like a skating rink.
Read more: Met Office South West weather warning for heavy, persistent rain begins tonight
“The conditions were completely unworkable. The entire fleet in Cranbrook was called back because of the conditions. The guys were calling me saying they just couldn’t do the deliveries because it was so dangerous out there.
“One of them put a post on the Cranbrook community page explaining we were unable to do deliveries and we had someone say that they needed to set up a new delivery company. It was like, whoah, but most people have been understanding.
“A few of us in today are trying to get out as much of what’s come in today and what didn’t go out yesterday to people in Cranbrook. All special deliveries will arrive today.
(Image: notonthehighstreet)
“I will get as much to people as I can and there is another postie delivering his entire round today in Cranbrook that couldn’t go out yesterday. I always work on Sundays delivering tracked parcels but I am also posting special deliveries from yesterday and any letters that look important such as from the NHS and Covid test kits.
“I 100 per cent won’t be getting paid for it but as I had worked in Cranbrook for eight years, I feel a sense of responsibility.
“I always want to help as much as I can; I like to go above and beyond. If you can help someone then why not? I also know of posties in other areas of Devon who are doing the same today.”
Adam says he has seen the number of parcels he delivers in the town increase by 100 per cent but he still finds the time to have a laugh and joke with customers to brighten their day. He has been a postman for 18 years and in 2020 was named as one of the UK’s best posties by a ‘Thank You Postie’ campaign launched by Not On The High Street to find six of the UK’s most-appreciated and adored local posties.
(Image: Amy Prowse)
This year Adam has been working through the strikes because he cannot afford to lose any pay as his wife Amy is on sick leave. She has been diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 37.
To make sure people are diagnosed as promptly as possible – no matter what their age – Amy has launched an online petition calling for the government to introduce annual bowel cancer screening. It has already been signed by nearly 125,000 people.
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