Horsham posties deliver smiles in memory of John
A team of 30 Horsham post men and women put the fun into fundraising on Saturday (25 April) when they delivered the local community’s post in fancy dress.
The posties, who work out of Royal Mail’s Horsham Delivery Office, donned fancy dress to raise money for our hospice in memory of their much-loved colleague, John Brooksbank.
John, who had secondary brain cancer, was a familiar face to many, having worked as a postman in Horsham for 33 years. His colleagues wanted to do something to support St Catherine’s, as our hospice cared for John and his family when he was ill.
A fantastic effort was made with costumes as varied as Iron Man through to a giant whoopee cushion! The community loved it, with posties receiving rounds of applause and smiles as they knocked on doors.
The team were hoping to raise £250 but have smashed their fundraising target raising over £3,000. Donations poured in over the weekend and continue to do so. Many messages express thanks to the posties for brightening up people’s days and for the work they’re doing on the frontline.
Kerry Haines, who organised the fancy dress fundraiser said, “We had agreed before John’s funeral in an attempt to raise some money for St Catherine’s that some of our staff could be sponsored to perform their deliveries in fancy dress. We’ve now raised over £3,000 in John’s memory, and we’re still receiving donations. We’ve been astounded by the generosity we’ve received from colleagues and members of the public. We never expected any of this, we just wanted to remember John and make people smile the way he did.
The public really enjoyed seeing us dressed up, many of them took pictures with us, and we all loved it too. It was a special day and I’m sure John would be very proud of the smiles and the money we’ve raised to support St Catherine’s. We hope that in this time of need the money will help the hospice provide the vital care and support that they’re known for.”
Tom Abbott, our Director of Fundraising said, “We’re so grateful to Kerry and the whole team from Horsham Royal Mail’s Delivery Office for their incredible fundraising efforts. When we heard about their plans we thought it was fantastic. It’s a brilliant, uplifting way to honour the memory of their friend and colleague, John, and to bring smiles to the faces of others at a time it’s really needed. At St Catherine’s, we’re continuing to care for people who need us during this pandemic, but our community’s support is needed now more than ever. We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone involved on Saturday. Their support helps make sure that we can be there for others, like we were for John and his family, in the future.”
Earlier in the month, the team also paid a moving tribute to John when they formed an escort of 14 Royal Mail vans to accompany his coffin to Crawley Crematorium. Kerry said, “After 33 years of service John was a much loved and respected member of our Royal Mail family. As we couldn’t attend his funeral in the usual way due to the current restrictions, we were granted permission to use some vans to pay our respects. It was a very proud moment for us all when members of the public stopped and watched as we followed John in convoy on his final journey to the crematorium.”
If you wish to make a donation to support the posties in their fundraising please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/horshamdeliveryoffice
