The Festive Season is Royal Mail’s busiest period, as millions of people shop online for gifts as well as sending Christmas cards and parcels. Royal Mail also plays a key role in e-commerce for many businesses sending goods to customers throughout Christmas shopping season.

Robert Paterson, Royal Mail Delivery Office Manager, said: “Our postmen and women are working extremely hard to deliver Christmas parcels, cards, letters and parcels to people in Largs. We are grateful that Jamie visited the office to see our operation and to support the team.

“We’d like to remind our customers to post early and to ensure all their mail is posted by the recommended dates, so that friends and family can enjoy their Christmas greetings and parcels. If everyone uses the postcode on every item of mail, this also helps us greatly in the job that we do at this very busy time.”

Customers do not need to travel to a Royal Mail Delivery office to pick up parcels if they can’t or do not want to. They can arrange a redelivery free of charge on a day that is convenient for them (including Saturdays), or Royal Mail can deliver the item to a different address within the same postcode area. This service can be arranged by calling the number on the “Something for You” card we leave or by visiting our website at www.royalmail.com/redelivery.

Royal Mail can also now leave many mail items with a neighbour if customers are not at home when we attempt delivery. Customers can nominate a dedicated neighbour to take in their parcels by filling in a form at their delivery office.

The last recommend posting dates for Christmas are: Second Class – Tuesday 18 December 2018 First Class – Thursday 20 December 2018 Special Delivery – Saturday 22 December 2018

Jamie Greene MSP said: “At no other time is the hard work and dedication of postmen and women clearer than during the festive period. There is a huge amount of effort and dedication that goes into delivering a first class Christmas all over the country.

“It was great to meet the team here at Largs and thank them for the extraordinary lengths they go to ensure Christmas parcels and cards are delivered to loved ones on time, as well as thanking them for delivering our mail services all through the year, in all weathers.”