I was delighted to be asked to be unofficial photographer for Sir Robert Smith, MP last week during his pre-Christmas visit to Royal Mail’s sorting office in Westhill even though it meant an earlier than usual start for me in the morning! It was great to see behind the scenes and meet the staff who were already two hours into their busy day. Manager Derek Angus explained that Royal Mail customers seemed to have ordered online gifts earlier this year after suffering delays in the midst of adverse weather in the run up to last Christmas, so for staff the parcel rush had come a little earlier on in December than usual. The staff were in good spirits and Sir Robert spent some time finding out more about their work. He said  “The Royal Mail posties play a crucial role in ensuring effective delivery of the mail. No other organisation has the local knowledge and network to reach every door in the country.  The regulator needs to ensure that rival companies do not put that network at risk as they compete for the easier parts of the process.”