Weekend Wandering: The priority postbox

Priority postbox at Charlcutt

A sunny day earlier in the week, a new walk to explore courtesy of the Bremhill Parish History Group, and a good friend* to explore it with, what could be better? A new-to-me discovery in the shape of the pictured postbox was the icing on the cake. 

Not only is it a particularly attractive one, it also bears the intriguing sticker "Priority Postbox". A little light googling when I returned home tells me this is one of 35,000 in the country which are standing by to accept completed home coronavirus test kits. Apparently special arrangements are needed to ensure kits are collected promptly (from postboxes and homes) to maximise the chance of a correct result for the test taken. Unsurprisingly the one closest to me is at Chippenham's main sorting office, a short walk away, though the two actually on our estate aren't included in the scheme. This one is at Charlcutt, a tiny hamlet of 20 properties in the heart of Wiltshire's countryside. It's a reassuring find and one of our oldest postboxes; the magic VR at the top shows it dates from Queen Victoria's reign.

As well the postbox find, it was a cracking walk with big skies and wide views from the top of one of Wiltshire's ridges.

Foxham walk collage

* = the option to have a socially distanced walking partner under the Lockdown 2.0 guidance is proving to be a lifesaver. As was the takeaway coffee and scrummy brownie at the end of our 6 mile walk!

Update: I'm so glad my friend A saw my tweet about this post as she has first-hand knowledge of the process involved with coronavirus test kits. She says:

"Yes! You have to do, and post the test less than an hour before the last collection from said priority boxes too. Makes it all a bit exciting..."

Comments

  1. Mark OLLIS14 November 2020 at 18:11

    Smashing

    ReplyDelete
  2. The bike shed14 November 2020 at 18:20

    I know someone who decided to cycle to every post box in Wiltshire! The things we do...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP28 December 2020 at 10:16

      That's a lot of postboxes! Did you use the Royal mail app to find them all?

      Delete
  3. Rob16 November 2020 at 07:30

    We have one of those boxes in the village here, I was wondering what it meant but never got around to looking it up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP28 December 2020 at 10:17

      I was intrigued enough to do so - I love finding out little nuggets like that :)

      Delete

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