Royal Mail : Fear naut, your post will be delivered

The Brownsea Island postal route in Dorset has been completed by boat for over 100 years, and Royal Mail postman Sheridan Bartlett is one in a long line of esteemed postmen and women to complete it.

Postal deliveries for residents of the beautiful Brownsea Island in Dorset have been completed by boat for over 100 years, and Royal Mail postman Sheridan Bartlett (43) is the latest incumbent in a long line of mail-bearing seafarers to complete the route.

The boat sets off at 7.30am each morning, and crosses the four and a half mile route on the island, which is also cared for by the National Trust. The route covers twelve delivery points, including the local National Trust property office and historic Brownsea Castle, as well as the homes of the Trust staff who live on the island.

Delivering letters and parcels amidst a backdrop of fresh sea air and stunning scenery means that Poole-based Sheridan, who has worked for Royal Mail for 26 years, counts himself as one of the luckiest postmen in the country.

Sheridan Bartlett said: 'One of the things that many postmen and women I speak to love most about their job is the chance to be outdoors, and I'm particularly lucky with the rare combination of fresh sea air, amazing wildlife and beautiful countryside.'

Matthew Goodwin, Royal Mail Westbourne Delivery Office Manager, said: 'Brownsea Island is one of our most unusual and coveted postal routes, and we love the opportunity to show it off where we can!'

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About Royal Mail plc

Royal Mail plc is the parent company of Royal Mail Group Limited, the leading provider of postal and delivery services in the UK and the UK's designated universal postal service provider. UK Parcels, International andLetters ('UKPIL') comprises the company's UK and international parcels and letters delivery businesses operating under the 'Royal Mail' and 'Parcelforce Worldwide' brands. Through the Royal Mail Core Network, the company delivers a one-price-goes-anywhere service on a range of parcels and letters products. Royal Mail has the capability to deliver to more than 29 million addresses in the UK, six days a week (excluding UK public holidays). Parcelforce Worldwide operates a separate UK network which collects and delivers express parcels. Royal Mail also owns General Logistics Systems (GLS) which operates one of the largest ground-based, deferred parcel delivery networks in Europe.