Letters from lockdown: Postal workers report surge in people writing to each other

  • Anglia

  • Watch a video report from ITV News' Lauren Hall

Since the start of lockdown, we have had to find different ways of keeping in touch with friends and family.

You have probably made lots of phone calls and had virtual chats over Zoom or Facetime, but many of us are also putting pen to paper and writing to each other.

There's been a surge in people sending cards and letters and postal workers say it has been a busy time.

"It's probably the busiest I've ever seen it" postman Harrison Lea told us, adding "even Christmas isn't usually as bad as this!"

People in the Anglia region told us who they have been writing to and why

We are not only sending them to our nearest and dearest. To mark Captain Tom Moore’s 100th birthday last month, tens of thousands of cards flooded into the village of Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.

Following an appeal from staff, cards and letters have also been arriving at Bilton Court Care Home in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

The manager Carly Young said: "The residents really look forward to receiving mail and the staff enjoy reading it as well and we've enjoyed writing back and keeping in touch."

Sending cards and letters has always helped us through difficult times. During the First World War, letters were sent and received from the trenches.

Meanwhile in the Second World War, greeting cards weren’t rationed, as they were deemed so essential for boosting morale. From the frontlines, to our front rooms, we are embracing this tradition once again.

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