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A Wirral postman has shared what it is actually like to be serving the community day in day out.
Paul East, from Oxton, has been in the industry for 16 years – starting off at Royal Mail before leaving in July this year to start his own business venture. At first, the 48-year-old loved taking in the scenery on the daily but now with hindsight has said it is the people who make his job “all worthwhile”.
The dad told the ECHO: “Being a postman is very important to me, it’s a role in which you feel trusted and respected in society. For some customers especially in recent years, we were their only social interaction during the day. We deliver good news and we deliver bad news and that relationship with the customer follows the same path. When they’ve had good news they want to tell you, and when they’ve had bad news they want a friend to talk to.
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“If you’ve ever been for a ramble up a mountain or out in the country, you find every person going in the opposite direction saying good morning and good afternoon but in towns and cities this doesn’t happen but it does for a postman. Everyone wants to say hello and it’s a privileged role to hold in society.”
Paul said his career has been a “rollercoaster of emotions” and despite getting the “privilege” of being the person people share awful news with “none of the training involves counselling or therapy for grief.”
He said: “We are like the social emergency service. I have found lost pets, bank cards of customers, and keys from customers who have left them in their front doors. I have rejoiced with customers with good news, and I have had numerous interactions with customers who have lost a loved one or received bad news and I have been their rock for that brief time in the day.
“I get the privilege of being the person they shared such awful news with and little do they know that the rock crumbles within moments of leaving the conversation as people’s heartbreak is hard to digest when you’re privy to such exclusive interactions. We don’t get training on how to handle these situations, it’s just something we evolve and learn how to.”
(Image: Paul East)
Paul has developed friendships that continue beyond his regular working house as he has been invited to customers’ family parties, attended rugby games and arranged play dates for his son through his work.
He added: “The sense of community is extremely strong. It’s an art form that has disappeared even amongst neighbours which is quite sad. I think during Covid we saw it briefly slowly start knitting back together, people sharing conversations at the end of their drives or over fences.
“But since coming out of the pandemic, it’s started to follow the same path as it was on – where neighbours try to avoid one another. Some people just don’t need neighbours, but for some it’s essential.”
Wanting to make the postal service around Merseyside better for the community he has grown to love – Paul has formed his own private courtier business, Local Postal Solutions. The business offers same-day postal delivery and offers a money-back guarantee if the promised job isn’t fulfilled.
Paul is hoping to target businesses that send out regular mail locally such as accountants, solicitors, schools and dentists. Having just launched in the Wirral, Paul is planning on branching out further afield and “revolutionise the industry.”
Paul added: “People get used to things being a certain way and often just assume that’s the way they’re meant to be, but I’m a firm believer in questioning things and trying to do things differently. I’m hoping that this new postal concept saves businesses lots of money and saves the planet in the process.”
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