Gordon was running late; he’d dropped his van keys down the river bank which ran by the side of his house and had spent what seemed like ages, trying to pull them out of the muddy, weed infested bank with a creation he’d made from an old metal coat hanger!

Finally, he hooked the keys securely onto the hanger arm and was then able to hook them up the bank and be on his way.  As he drove off whistling an unnamed tune, he thought to himself how like Postman Pat he really was; all he was missing was Jess, the black and white cat!  Perhaps he should get one, he mused.

“Morning Claire”, he called from his window as he went about his route. “Mind you save me a Jaffa cake, if you’ve any left!” Claire was his sole supply of Jaffa cakes, which she gladly offered to him ever since he showed her the delights of the multiple letter box when she was delivering the Parish Newsletter and thought that she had to deliver each one individually to each resident of a large block of flats!

By the end of the morning, all his letters were delivered but he still had a large package to deliver to Signorina Valentini, right at the very end of the village.  It wasn’t usually down to him to deliver such large parcels but they were short-staffed at the sorting office and so he offered to deliver this one, seeing as it was so close to home.  He drove up to Daisy Cottage but was sure no one was in.  The windows were closed and Signorina Valentini’s bike wasn’t in its usual spot by the shed door. As he got closer, Gordon saw white paper flapping about in the breeze, on the grass.  He jumped out of his van, but the wind whisked the paper away, down the lane.  Gordon chased after the paper as he hated litterbugs and couldn’t bear to see his beautiful village spoiled by such mess!

Signorina Valentini was originally from Sicily. As a child, she was taught to sew by her beloved Nonna (grandmother) and by wearing some of her fabulous creations around the village, her work was becoming more and more popular, with local women (young and old) asking her to make outfits for them. It was taking off to such an extent, she had started to order material and pattern paper online; items which are bulky and didn’t fit through her letterbox. This had become a problem as she also helped at the local primary school and so isn’t always at home when some of the packages arrived.

On this particular day, Signorina Valentini was beside herself, as she’d promised Elvira Mortova of Grey Towers, a beautiful dress for an extremely special occasion – what that occasion was, she didn’t know as she had not been party to that information, much to her irritation. All she knew was that it had to be perfect!  The material was due to arrive from Paris that day, but she had promised to teach year 6 five new words in Italian; settimana (week), anno (year), oggi (today), domani (tomorrow) and ieri (yesterday), as part of their ‘getting to know Italy week’ at school.  In an absolute panic, Signorina Valentini had written several large notes, in broken English, and stuck them to her front door, back door and gate.  “I out. Sorry. Please bring package to scuola skhool.”

“I’m getting too old to chase litter around the village” grumbled Gordon as he eventually caught up with the errant paper and stamped on it to keep it from moving off further.  As he picked it up, he read the message. “Well I never”, he thought, “Signorina Valentini must need this package really urgently.”   Gordon took the sheet back to the cottage and opened the gate.  He rescued the other pieces of paper, all with the same message.  “Thank goodness, I found these.  It was highly unlikely the parcel service would take the packages up to the school,” he muttered to himself.

Gordon got into his van and drove to the village school.  The children were playing in the sunshine as he pulled his van into the car park, carefully avoiding bats and balls which had somehow found their way out of the boundary.  He moved towards the entrance and pushed the buzzer to announce his arrival.  Betty, the school secretary, came to the door with her hands out for the post. “Not for you today Betty. I’ve an urgent package for Signorina Valentini. Is she about?”  Gordon certainly didn’t expect such a welcome as Signorina Valentini flew across the corridor.  She was absolutely delighted that Gordon had been thoughtful enough to act on her note, but also told him about her concerns as to the delivery of packages when she wasn’t at home.

Gordon thought for a minute and then asked her if she’d heard of Letterbox4you.  “No” she said rather bewildered. He explained that they were an online company selling freestanding parcel boxes, “Just perfect for you” he said, “and really easy to buy online.  As it’s freestanding you can put it wherever you want.  Once you choose the spot, I’m happy to come over to help you secure it safely and then you’ll never have to worry about missed packages again!”

Signorina Valentini grinned from ear to ear; she felt that a parcel box was a worthwhile investment for her business and went online to order as soon as she got the opportunity. The box was delivered within the week and once secured, Signorina Valentini received parcels galore ensuring her sewing business went from strength to strength.  She was sew glad to have a friend like Gordon!