I was up early this morning to pay a visit to Walton's Royal Mail delivery office. Stephen Parsons, the Delivery Office Manager, and James Mitchell from HQ showed me around, meeting our local postmen and women, and hearing about the changes in the market for letters (with both the pressure from the internet, but also a big shift in customers from letters to parcels).

It is quite an operation Royal Mail run and the team in Walton are a dedicated and sturdy bunch - I lost count of the number of people wearing shorts, despite freezing conditions! The internet may be changing the way we all communicate, but - especially at this time of year - the Royal Mail provides a vital local service, and remains a trusted national institution.