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A CONVOY of nearly 50 Royal Mail vans travelled through Alveston at the weekend as part of a tribute to a much-loved postman.
Trevor Withey, 65, was a familiar face to the residents of the area where he had carried out his rounds for 15-plus years during a 48-year career with the Royal Mail.
After he died on 21st September, his colleagues, as well as the villagers, wanted to show their respect and love, and so a plan for a convoy was formed.
The van trail started at Stratford Leisure Centre at 2pm on Saturday (4th October) and travelled along Tiddington Road before looping through Alveston via Alveston Lane, The Rookery, Ferry Lane, Kissing Tree Way and stopping at St James’ Church where a postbox-shaped wreath was laid.
A large number of people lined the streets to watch the vans as they made their way through the village, many with their dogs. Trevor was well known for doing his post rounds with dog treats at the ready, making him popular with the four-legged population of Alveston.
The Alveston community is also working together to have a bench placed in the village bearing Trevor’s name.
Trevor’s widow Ann said she was taken aback by what she described as a fitting tribute to her husband. She watched the trail of vans pass through the village alongside her daughter, Claire, and Trevor’s brother Alan, who is also a former postman.
“It was beautiful. There were so many people out and so many from Royal Mail. It hit us a bit, it really did, but it was so nice of them to do that.
“I could never have done anything like that in all my life. It was the best send-off he could have ever had. He would have been really happy about it and it really goes to show how much Trevor’s colleagues at the Royal Mail thought of him.
“It was overwhelming to see so many people from his work and also from the village come out to pay their respects.
“Trevor was only cremated on the Friday and then we had this event the day after. It really hit home but it was lovely. I had no idea that this many vans were going to turn up. We thought there was going to be around 10.”
Jane Dodge was one of the many villagers who lined the streets of Alveston to give thanks to Trevor.
“He had a fantastic send-off. It was a very moving tribute to have all those Royal Mail vans come through the village. So many villagers came out as well and lined the streets to say goodbye.
“Trevor was such a character. He always wore shorts, which I think quite a lot of postmen do, but he did always wear them. He always wore really bright socks with all different designs on them.
“He was such a nice, friendly chap and if you opened the door to get your post, he was always very chatty. We miss him a lot.”
Zoe Woodcock, customer operations manager for Royal Mail in Stratford, paid tribute on behalf of the company Trevor dedicated nearly half a century to.
“Royal Mail came together to pay our respects to an incredible man, Trevor Withey. With almost 50 years of service it felt extra special to have almost 50 vans trail around Stratford and Trevor’s delivery village of Alveston,” she said.
“To be a part of the trail felt emotional and the turnout was even better than we had imagined with people waving and clapping on every street.
“It was wonderful to arrive at the church and to see so many of Trevor’s customers and their dogs. It was lovely that Alan, Ann and Claire were there to see how truly loved Trevor was by not only his colleagues but customers too.
“We look forward to seeing the bench being made in Alveston in his name where we hope his postbox wreath will stay.”
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