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Mail centre's bid to 'deliver a great Christmas'

BBC/Phil Harrison Large crates of post being prepared for delivery at the Medway Mail Centre in Kent; personnel can be seen moving around the centre floor, where there are rows and rows of metal crates with white bags. On the right hand side there is a section for tracked mail.BBC/Phil Harrison
Royal Mail has brought in 15,000 additional workers to help over the festive period

The Royal Mail is set to have its busiest day of the year on Wednesday when around 35 million items of post will be delivered across the UK.

With just over a week to go until Christmas Day, BBC South East reporter Phil Harrison visited Medway Mail Centre in Rochester, Kent, on Monday to watch the final preparations.

Given that Wednesday is the last day for second class and second class signed for, with Friday the same for first class and Royal Mail Tracked 48, the centre is a hub of activity.

Jay Brooks, the regional operations director for Royal Mail in the South East, said they were "well set up" for the busiest week of the year.

BBC/Phil Harrison Jay Brooks pictured overlooking the Medway Mail Centre. He is stood in front of a decorated Christmas tree, and is wearing a light blue shirt and a navy suit jacket. Jay is also wearing a green lanyard.BBC/Phil Harrison
Jay Brooks is the regional operations director for Royal Mail in the South East

"We've brought in 15,000 additional workers across the country to support us with the high volumes. Tomorrow [Tuesday] alone will be our busiest day of the year, we will see 35 million letters and nine million parcels pass through our network," he said.

Tom Bailey, plant manager at the Medway Mail Centre, laid bare the scale of the effort.

"We currently are processing between 2.1 and 2.2 million items every day at Medway...I will be processing 350,000 parcels/Christmas presents a day," he explained.

The motivation, he says, is to "deliver a fantastic Christmas" for people across Kent and beyond.

BBC/Phil Harrison Three Royal Mail workers can be seen working at individual stations, preparing parcels for delivery before Christmas. The further man forward is wearing a red shirt, with the man in the middle wearing a grey jumper. The most visible man is wearing a short blue Royal Mail shirt and is preparing a black parcel for delivery. All three men are wearing gloves.BBC/Phil Harrison
Royal Mail workers at the Medway Mail Centre preparing parcels for delivery

Though the centre's shift manager Calum Chatfield is relishing the busy period, the mammoth effort required does take its toll.

"We're reacting well to the busy time at the moment but my team and I will certainly be looking forward to relaxing come Boxing Day," he said.

Royal Mail does not deliver on Christmas Day, nor is there post on Boxing Day or New Year's Day.

BBC/Phil Harrison Tom Bailey, plant manager at the Medway Mail Centre, pictured overlooking the centre floor. Tom is wearing a navy pullover jumper with grey collar, a black lanyard and a blue shirt underneath. He has glasses hooked onto the front of his jumper.BBC/Phil Harrison
Tom Bailey says more than two million items are currently being processed at the centre every day

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