Postie Colin McAlpine’s bagpipes brightens up the village’s day

For me as a Village Postie, I became acutely aware of the changes to people’s routines as soon as the Schools closed. There was a lot of uncertainty and confusion for everyone leading up to Lockdown but there was also a bonding together, a solidarity if you will, from an unexpected source. It came from the youngsters in the form of the Children’s Rainbow. I began to see it everywhere along with messages of support for the NHS and Key Workers. Almost every window has a hand drawn poster, walls and pavements are adorned in chalk drawings and positive messages.

A couple of people in the Village knew I played the bagpipes and asked if I could play a few tunes outside their houses. I was a bit nervous about doing that as the Pipes are a bit like Marmite – you either love them or you don’t and they aren’t exactly discreet. However, I played one afternoon, when I had finished, it seemed the whole of the street were stood in their doorways applauding and shouting their thanks for brightening up their day. I have played at several spots in the Village since. From my perspective, playing a few tunes is no hardship for me but if it helps take people’s minds off the current situation and gives them something else to talk about, then I feel I have helped.

Colin McAlpine – Bestwood Village, Nottingham Postman