Category Archives: News

Royal Mail Put Kids TV Characters on Stamps To Celebrate 50 Years of Children’s TV

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You might have noticed some familiar faces on your stamps recently, especially if you remember the days of watching kids TV. Since the start of 2014, children’s TV characters have begun to appear on Royal Mail postage stamps as a means of celebrating 60 years of children’s TV.

There are some notable figures to watch out for, including a selection of newcomers such as Peppa Pig, Bob the Builder and Shaun the Sheep. Some of us might even get a bit nostalgic seeing the older characters Postman Pat, Mr Ben and Ivor the Engine.

Andrew Hammond from Royal Mail Stamps told the BBC that they simply couldn’t ignore the landmark. “It feels appropriate to celebrate all of these unforgettable characters on a set of very special stamps” he said.

If you plan on sending a letter or parcel abroad, you might be able to make the most of these unique set of stamps, especially if they’re going to a distant friend or a younger recipient.

We offer an unrivalled parcel delivery service here at RAND, so make sure you get a quote from us today to see how we can save you money when shipping parcels abroad.

The Postal Service During the First World War

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To celebrate the news that we could be seeing Mail Rail back on track as part of London’s underground network for the first time in over ten years, we take a look at some of the other historical aspects of the postal service and how sending a parcel abroad might have differed during the First World War.

The Post Office was by far the most lucrative enterprise in the country back in 1914, becoming “the largest single employer of labour in the world” according to the British Postal Museum. Once the war began, many of the workers decided to leave their jobs as staff and left the country to fight or contribute to the war in other ways.

The number of postal staff that ended up joining the army was staggering, as they had been encouraged to enlist in the first place. There was even a battalion, the Post Office Rifles, created that was made up entirely of post office workers.

The APS was then introduced as a means of getting letters to and from the trenches. The Home Depot was introduced in Regents Park to sort all these letters. By the end of the war, the Home Depot had dealt with over 2 billion letters.

 

London’s “Ghost Railway” To Be Re-Opened?

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There’s currently another method of transport that many people are unaware of beneath the capital; an alternative underground system that wasn’t meant for passengers. Instead, it was a method of international parcel delivery that fell out of favour back in 2003. The Telegraph recently claimed that, with proper funding, we could see the old parcel delivery service become an exciting way for the public to get around town.

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It is essentially a forgotten part of London’s history, with no access to the public and just a few members of staff that ensure the tunnels are kept in good shape. However, it has been revealed that there are plans to make the first ever driverless railway system in the UK part of a new museum. This could be achieved if the British Postal Museum and Archive get hold of another £2million.

The Mail Rail, as it was known, would often carry as many as four million parcels a day below London’s bustling streets back when it first opened in 1927. Whilst it’s more of a ghost railway at present, £2million in donations could be what it takes to revitalise a significant piece of postal history.

Contact RAND for more information about our parcel delivery services and get an instant quotation today.

Winter Olympics 2014: Day 1

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The Winter Olympics is well underway over in Sochi and we’ll be using this week to focus on the history of the games and some of the significant aspects of the event. Remember that RAND Logistics provide an international delivery service to Russia, so make sure that you make the most of our services if you plan on sending something to Russia in the future.

The Winter Olympics has a much shorter history than the Olympic Games, with the first games being held at the start of the 20th century. The Olympic Games that followed the First World War introduced a number of winter Olympic events such as figure skating after the 1916 winter Olympics were cancelled as a result of the war.

From 1964 onwards, the Winter Olympics became an increasingly popular spectacle with many events introduced for the first time. Increased broadcasting provided money for the games and soon enough the games reached a similar popularity to that of the Olympic Games itself.

Interestingly, the first ever boycott of the Winter Olympics was from Taiwan after the IOC ordered them to change their name and national anthem.

If you’re following the Winter Olympics this week, be sure to check back here to learn more about the games, whilst you can also learn more about our logistics services here at RAND.

Brazil World Cup 2014 – More than just a tournament?

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The Football World Cup draw was held this time last week to decide who would be playing who in the group stages in Brazil next summer. The World Cup is a massive event that brings a vast amount of tourists together to celebrate football in the form of a tournament. Brazil is often seen as the home of attractive football and this is why next summer could be one of the greatest World Cups ever hosted. We take a look at how the country has developed and how football has played such a big role in inspiring the people of Brazil.

Brazil has always been a country full of culture and passion. The countries population generally consists of people with little wealth yet a truly incredible level of pride and inspiration. Football has played a big part in keeping young Brazilians inspired and passionate about their future, whilst it also brings the country together with famous Brazilian footballers regularly visiting their childhood favelas and districts to help motivate young children and poor families in the area.

With the World Cup being an international spectacle, the whole world will be watching Brazil next summer and this could work wonders in promoting awareness of the deprived areas in the country. If you are aware of a sporting organisation or individual in Brazil that may benefit from a gift being shipped internationally to the country, this is one of many ways that you can play a huge part in maintaining the footballing spirit that is present there.

With the World Cup edging closer, there is no doubt that the awareness of deprivation in Brazil will be noticed and we will hopefully see a wonderful World Cup hosted that promotes equality and inspiration for all.

If you want to send a parcel to Brazil for a family member or any other particular cause, why not have a look at some of the services that RAND Logistics have to offer? You can also contact us for further information regarding our services.

The Privatisation of the Royal Mail

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Recently, it has been announced that the Royal Mail will be privatised in the coming weeks. This means that employees will be given a share of the postal service with members of the public being able to buy shares from £750. It has long been recognised that there are flaws in the Royal Mail, but is this necessarily a good thing? It is too early to say yet how this will affect the post in the UK, but one thing is for sure: it won’t affect the way RAND operate. We can still offer the same high level of parcel delivery anywhere in the world, and you will always have the option of fast, reliable delivery wherever in the world you’re sending your items.